Once in a Blood Moon
by RandomTendencies13
Summary: Gelphie INSPIRED story. Almost completely original ideas besides such. My FictionPress account would not allow me to publish it because it has lyrics in it, so I'm putting it on FanFiction. A story about immortal roommates: a vampire and a werewolf...
1. Chapter 1

******Before you start reading this story, let me explain just why it's on here. "Once in a Blood Moon" was originally published on my FictionPress account, but due to technical errors and not receiving any reply from the site's support team, I got fed up with it and am now publishing it here. The story is kind of a hybrid of sorts: not using copyrighted characters and themes enough to be considered FanFiction, but also not original (using lyrics and ideas and such from copyrighted or well-known sources) enough to be considered a completely original piece of work. After writing "A Servant of Love" (a Wicked Gelphie story), Denpa Wave Chick Saki and I, were inspired to make our own, more original, version of the couple in a new story. The two main characters are roommates, complete opposites really, who are stuck together, not only because of their room, but due to the fact that they are the only people the other could live with without having the fear of their secrets getting out. One of them is a vampire, and the other is a werewolf. Their two species being locked in a neverending feud, Kristianna Chatagnier and Ashelin Valente aren't any different from the rest of their kind, and sparks are bound to fly. **

******Kristianna (aka Kristi), the vampire, was inspired by Galinda. Just as I wrote the parts of Galinda in "Servant of Love," I also write the Kristi parts in "Once in a Blood Moon." Kristi is a slightly more...morose character than the bubbly Galinda, but writing such a happy character constantly can get a little tiring, so I decided to switch it up a little :) Denpa wrote the Elphaba parts and now she also writes the Ashelin (aka Ash) parts. Ash is the werewolf of the story who is very much like Elphaba. She just has a little less...what's the word?...self-restraint. Lol. The two girls come very different and complex backgrounds, and everything will be explained in time. I promise it will be. As with "Servant of Love" there will be mature content, and it will deserve it's "Mature" rating. And since it was inspired by Gelphie, there will be, of course, lesbian content some time in the story's future. So DO NOT read if you are one of those narrow-minded people. You have been warned.**

******So without any further ado... ********"Denpa Wave Chick Saki" co-wrote this with me. Enjoy!**

* * *

When Ashelin went to dress herself that morning, she was a little dismayed to find that the drawer that had once held her shirts was now half-filled with scraps of fabric instead. The brunette set her jaw, as she tried to remain calm. It didn't work. "KRISTI!"

The blonde in question sauntered out of the bathroom. "You called, Ashelin?" She sat down on her bed to brush through her hair.

"What is this?" Ash shouted, throwing a handful of the scraps at her roommate. "You went through my clothes again? I _just_ bought these last week!"

Kristi flicked the scraps off of her. "Perhaps if you didn't buy such horrible clothes, I wouldn't have to destroy them all the time."

"It's all I can afford! Stop going through my stuff, and mind your own goddamn business!" Ash turned back to the drawer and managed to find one shirt that was still intact. She stripped off her night shirt and slipped the new one on. "I cannot wait until next semester when I can switch rooms and be away from you."

"Oh, really? Have fun trying to hide your little secret from a new roommate. You're lucky you got me to begin with."

Ash paused, her fists clenching, but she forced herself to relax. "It's not that hard to hide...at least I don't carry the scent of death with me everywhere I go, unlike _some_ people."

"A smell is easy to hide. However, it will be a little difficult to explain why you start growing fur and a snout at times. That is a tad more obvious."

"It doesn't happen that often! And maybe if I didn't have to deal with you and your random cravings, I wouldn't get stressed or angry, therefore, I wouldn't change!"

Kristi rolled her eyes. "Sure. Blame it all on me. Your kind have _always_ been known to have short tempers. This is not my fault."

"I WOULDN'T LOSE MY TEMPER IF YOU WOULD STOP BITING ME, YOU BLOOD-SUCKING PARASITE!"

The blonde slowly turned to glare at her, her grey eyes flashing silver in anger. "Don't you dare call me the parasite, when you and your kind have been a plague to my people for centuries," she growled.

Ash grinned slightly, knowing she'd hit a nerve now. "Oh really? At least we can survive on our own. You need people to feed off of. You survive off of the pain and blood of others. Who is the plaguing parasite now?"

"We aren't parasites. We're predators." Kristi began to slowly stalk around the room, eyeing Ash's rushing pulse in her neck. She licked her lips, as her fangs elongated. "We feed on the weak."

Ash knew that look, and she didn't like it. "Kristi, don't you dare. I have class in fifteen minutes, and I don't have time to be your meal." She backed towards the door, feeling for the handle. The blonde lunged at the werewolf, throwing her to the ground and burying her fangs deep into her neck. "NO!" Ash let out a gasp of pain, and she desperately tried to push Kristi off, feeling her fur ripple across her body. "Kristi...get off!" she growled, feeling her canines start to grow.

Kristi bit down harder, relishing in the taste of Ash's blood flowing down her throat. She tightened her grip on the werewolf's arms, keeping her pinned down. Ash felt her limbs begin to elongate, and she let out a cry of pain. She brought her legs up, and after she managed to get them under Kristi, she shoved the vampire away with a yell, feeling a good chunk of skin being torn from her neck. The blonde slid down into a crouch, baring her fangs at the werewolf. She wiped the blood dripping from her mouth, licking it from her fingers.

Ash rolled onto her stomach, coughing a few times before she looked at the vampire. "You're fucking insane!" She staggered to her feet, leaning heavily against the wall, as she focused on halting her transformation.

"And you're fucking delicious." Kristi lunged at her again, latching on to the open wound on her neck.

The lycan let out another yell of pain, and, even though she fought it, she felt her werewolf side take over and the transformation finished. On all fours now, Ash tossed her head, slamming Kristi into the wall. She pinned her there with one paw before tearing herself away again, opening the wound further. The lycan backed up with a growl, her blood dripping off her fur and onto the floor. Kristi couldn't tear her gaze away from the heavy flow of blood. She licked her lips again. Ash growled at Kristi, moving down into a pouncing position, ready if the vampire tried to jump her again.

Right when the blonde was about to pounce again, she was snapped out of her bloodlust by a knock on the door. Kristi sniffed the air, recognizing the smell of her boyfriend. She quickly gave a fake lunge towards Ash before feinting to her other side and throwing her onto the ground. She gave one last lick across the wound, growling in her ear. "You can't fight against me and win, Ashelin. I'm the predator here. You're just the prey." The blonde used one of the scraps of Ash's old clothes to wipe the last of the blood from her mouth. Kristi flounced over to the door and opened it for her boyfriend with a grin. "Hey, baby."

Eric glanced behind the blonde, seeing the bloody werewolf on the floor. He pushed Kristi up against the wall with a grin. "Hello to you too, gorgeous." He leaned down to give her a deep kiss, pulling away breathless a few moments later. "Mmm you're so hot when you go all vampire..."

Kristi's eyes flashed silver again, this time in lust. She licked her lips. "And you're just hot all the time."

After letting his hands roam over the vampire's body, he slowly pulled away. "Let's go get dinner, so we can go to my place after." Kristi gave a grin and nodded. She went back into the room to grab her purse, giving Ash's body a kick on her way out.

Ash lay on the floor, gasping for air and focusing on changing back into her human form. Her clothes had ripped to shreds from changing, and she tore the scraps from her body angrily. The lycan slowly got to her feet and made her way into the bathroom, where she used a wet washcloth to clean the blood from her body. The wound in her neck would heal quickly enough, but Ash still covered it with a bandage, if only to keep others from panicking, should they see it. She left the bathroom and put on a new outfit, glancing at the clock. "Shit, I'm late." Ash grabbed her bag and bolted from the room.

It was, overall, a typical evening.

* * *

Ash unlocked the door and entered the room, kicking the door closed behind her. She figured that Kristi was still with her boyfriend, which meant she would have the room all to herself tonight. The lycan kicked off her shoes before she leapt onto the small couch and turned on the TV, opening the paper bag in her lap. Her mouth practically watered at the scent of the steak inside, and she pulled it out, not even bothering to use a plate or fork before she sank her teeth into the meat. Her phone suddenly beeped at her, and Ash dug around in her pocket for it, looking at the caller ID. She growled, as she flipped it open. "What the fuck do you want, Kristi?"

"What are you doing, Ashelin?"

"Eating and watching TV and about to hang up on you."

The blonde walked through the door at that moment, flipping her phone shut. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't too busy, so we could continue what we were doing before we were interrupted earlier." Before Ash could react, the blonde was leaning over the back of the couch. She ripped off the bandage from her neck and buried her fangs into her.

"Fuck Kristi!" Ash grabbed the blonde by the back of her neck and threw her over her shoulder, slamming her back into the floor and tearing her neck loose. "Can't you ever give me a goddamn break?"

The vampire rolled up into a crouch. "If you weren't the dog that you are, this wouldn't happen!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ash stood up angrily and moved to retrieve her fallen steak. "And here I actually thought I could relax tonight..."

"You are the only person around here who I can feed on without having to worry about killing you."

"You know what?" Ash whipped to face her angrily. "If I let you have your goddamn meal, will you _please_ leave me alone for the rest of the night?"

"YES!"

"Fine." Ash moved to sit on the couch and braced herself. "All right. Just...do it." The blonde waited until she saw Ash beginning to relax before she bit into her again. Ash let out a cry, and she gripped the couch cushion tightly, as she felt the blonde take her blood. Her body jerked once or twice under the vampire, and Ash kept her eyes closed tightly, just hoping Kristi would finish soon.

Kristi drank deeply. When she finished, she roughly pushed the werewolf away. "I'm done." She wiped the blood from her mouth and walked back out the door. The blonde grinned at Eric, who was leaning against the wall outside, and grabbed his hand, pulling him away. "Let's go have some fun, Eric."

Ash lay on her side, trying to keep herself awake. Finally, she just gave up and fell asleep, blood trickling from her wound slowly. It was early the next morning, when Ash woke with a start. She groaned, as she sat up, her neck feeling sore. "Goddamn it Kristi..." The lycan stood shakily, already formulating her revenge for the blonde as she made her way into the bedroom. All she needed was for her roommate to come home...

* * *

Kristi stayed at Eric's apartment all night, finally returning to her room around midday. The blonde pulled out her keys, unlocked the door, and went inside, heading straight for the shower. Ash was lying on her bed, reading a text book and twirling a highlighter in her hand. She didn't look up at the blonde as she passed, but smiled slightly to herself as Kristi did exactly what she had predicted. The blonde went into the bathroom and stripped out of her clothes, turning the shower on.

"How was the date? Did you finally kill that jackass?" Ash called, trying to distract the blonde and hoping Kristi would just move out of habit.

"I would much prefer to kill you than him." Kristi ignored her after that and stepped into the shower, letting the water pour down her body. When the blonde reached for the bar of soap, she thought she smelled something odd. But the water quickly washed it away, so she ignored it. As soon as she started to rub it on herself, however, the smell returned. Kristi slowly brought the bar of soap up to her nose to sniff it, quickly holding it away from herself. "ASHELIN!" The blonde clenched her fist in anger, crushing the soap in the process and releasing the full extent of its smell. Kristi gagged, as the stench of garlic burned her nose and forced bloody tears to her eyes. She quickly wiped the soap from her hand before stumbling out of the shower coughing.

Ash ducked behind her book, trying to hide her laughter. "Did someone call for me?" She quickly reached under her bed, pulling out a water balloon. She knew Kristi was still recoiling from the garlic, so she took the opportunity to throw the balloon at Kristi's head, watching as it broke on contact, dousing the vampire's hair and face in blue hair dye.

The blonde froze, shaking in fury. "You. Are. Dead."

"Perhaps." Ash went for her last trick, grabbing a tin canister of flour and throwing it onto the blonde, watching it create a large cloud in the process. "But now I'm gone!" She turned and bolted from the bedroom, laughing. Kristi followed her easily, using her sensitive hearing to track her. She pinned the werewolf up against the wall by her neck, glaring up at her with silver eyes. The lycan clawed at Kristi's arm, gasping for air. "You...deserved it!" she managed to get out.

The blonde ignored the scratches Ash was making on her arms, but she was unable to hold back a bloody tear from streaming down her face. The garlic still burned her nose horribly. "I don't care."

Ash proceeded to kick the blonde. "At least...my tricks...were harmless! That's more...than you can say!"

Kristi didn't budge. "Harmless? HARMLESS? My fucking nose feels like it's been set on fire, and I'm losing vision in one eye! YOU CALL THAT HARMLESS!" She slammed the werewolf back against the wall.

Ash clenched her teeth, as spots danced before her eyes. "Not my...fucking problem!"

"Well, you're going to pay for it." Her grip on Ash's throat tightened. She knew that when fantasies of literally ripping the werewolf's head off began to drift through her mind, she needed to stop herself. She reluctantly let go of Ash, watching her drop to the floor, and backed away. "Get the fuck out before I kill you for good."

Ash fell to the floor, coughing before taking a few deep breaths. She glared up at Kristi. "I dare you!" she shouted before she tackled the vampire to the floor, burying her canines into the soft part of the blonde's throat. Kristi would have avoided her, but the brunette had come at her from the side she was currently blind on. The blonde struggled underneath, crying out in pain at the bite. Ash slammed her fist into the side of Kristi's head, forcing her canines loose. The lycan sat up, spitting the blonde's blood from her mouth. "How do you like it?" she growled.

The vampire shakily got to her feet. "You bitch." She lunged at Ash, but couldn't see very well, so she ended up completely missing her, crashing into the wall instead. The blonde slid down to the floor, clutching at her throat. "Get out."

Ash watched with some satisfaction, but as she turned away, she felt somewhat...no, no she couldn't feel bad for Kristi! The blonde made her life a living hell! Still...Ash moved into the bathroom and returned, throwing a wet washcloth at the vampire. "Wipe your eyes. You'll be fine," she spat before she retreated into the bedroom, picking up her book again. The blonde curled up, leaning her head back against the wall and laying the wet towel over her eyes. Ash passed by a few minutes later, wearing workout clothes. "I'm going to the gym. While I'm gone, you can sit there and think about what you did and why it was wrong," she said, before she left.

"Bitch," she muttered under her breath. A few minutes later, Kristi heard her phone ringing. She moved into the bedroom and took it out of her purse, flipping it open. "Hello, Klaus. There's no need to worry. It was just my my _chienne_ of a roommate." She nodded her head. "Yes, I'll talk to you another time._ Au revoir_, Klaus." The blonde shut her phone with a sigh, moving into the bathroom to take an uninterrupted shower.

* * *

Ash made it to the gym without incident and decided to start by running a few laps on the track. A few turned into a mile, which turned into two, and after four, Ash lost count. Running helped her blow off steam, and at the moment, she had quite a lot of it. Finally, she came to a stop, leaning against the fence in a stretch.

Back in the room, Ash's phone beeped, alerting its absent owner that it currently had a text.

* * *

When Kristi got out of the shower, she was feeling much better than she had before Her vision was back to normal, and her nose had almost stopped burning. She heard the beeping of Ash's phone and went to pick it up, looking at the screen.

"_Holy shit, it's the pope_," the text read, with a winking smiley face at the end.

The blonde replied, "_Beth, Ashelin isn't here. This is Kristi_."

"_Oh...heeeyyyy. That's cool too. Needed to talk to you anyway about the musical. We may have a problem_."

"_What's the problem?_"

"_We lost our Erik to laryngitis :/_"

"_What?_"

"_I know. It sucks balls. Unless we find someone else, I dunno what we're gonna do_."

"_Well, keep your eye out for somebody. We need to find a new Erik asap_."

"_Maybe you should ask Ash. She looks the part lolz. Oh, don't tell her I said that!_"

The blonde grinned to herself. "_Oh yeah lol. I won't tell her ;)_"

"_K thanks. See you at rehearsal later. Hopefully we find someone!_"

"_Yeah. I'll look around. C u later._"

"What are you doing with my phone?" Ash asked as she entered the room, her eyes narrowing.

Kristi quickly deleted the conversation with Bethany. "Beth was texting me, but my phone died, so she texted me on yours." The blonde shrugged, tossing Ash's phone back to her.

The lycan caught it clumsily. "I don't understand how she manages to be friends with both of us. The woman is insane."

Kristi went into the closet to pick an outfit for the day. "Well, it's obvious that she must suffer from temporary brain lapses. Why else would she hang out with you?"

"Fuck you, Kristi." Ash flopped down on the couch as she stripped off her sweat-soaked shirt and tossed it onto the floor. She laid her head back with a sigh. "How long are you going to stay out?"

"For as long as I feel like it. You don't own me. I don't have to tell you anything."

"Well good. Don't come back. It'll be nice to actually be free from the smell of something that's been dead in a car trunk for a week."

"It's better than smelling like a wet dog."

"Only when I'm actually wet. You smell all the time."

"And you always smell like a disgusting dog."

"People like dogs. People don't like dead bodies. That's why they bury them." Ash rolled onto her side. "Aww, couldn't get all the hair dye out?"

Kristi pulled on her hat, tucking her discolored hair underneath it. "Where do you think I'm going right now?"

"How many fucks do I give? Oh, that's right: none."

"Oh you'll care when you wake up one morning completely bald."

"Go ahead. It'll grow back in a day. Werewolf, remember?"

"Whatever." Without another word, the blonde walked out the door, grabbing her purse on the way out.

"Make sure nothing laid eggs in there!" Ash called after her. Kristi growled under her breath, walking down and sliding into her car. The werewolf moved to turn on her video game system, settling down for the afternoon.

* * *

The blonde parked her car on the street, getting out and walking into the beauty parlor. She was greeted by a very enthusiastic man calling her from across the room. He rushed towards her, pulling her into a hug and kissing both of her cheeks. "Kristianna, it has been far too long, my dear."

The blonde frowned. "It has indeed. I'm afraid this is not a social visit though."

"Oh, what seems to be the problem then? Your hair is always looking pristine, I almost never get the chance to work on it."

"Yes, well, you know I only trust my hair to the best, and that's why I am here."

"What happened?"

"My roommate happened." She slowly took off her hat, letting her blue splotched hair tumble out.

The stylist gave a gasp of shock. "_Mio, Dio_! Your roommate should be drained for doing this to your gorgeous golden locks." He stroked through her hair with a frown.

"Oh, I would love to do it...if I knew it would have any effect on her." She gave him a look.

"Ah, yes. I forgot she was one of _them_." He finished examining her hair. "But no matter. We need to fix this immediately. Isabella!" He called to one of the other stylists. "Finish my appointment for me. I have an emergency that needs fixing!" Paolo pulled the blonde up the stairs to his private station. "Oh, you have no idea how much I have missed your company, you gorgeous girl."

"I know, Paolo. I've just been so busy with schoolwork and the musical and dealing with my horrible roommate. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, my dear. I understand, but for now let's just get you all fixed up."

"I thought I saw you walk by," Bethany said, poking her head into the station. "Holy shit, nice hair." She moved to sit on the vanity, scowling when Paolo tried to shoo her away. "This sure beats sweeping up hair."

Kristi frowned. "I would rather not talk about it, please."

Paolo was rushing around the room gathering the things he needed to fix the blonde's hair. He had to shoo Bethany off of his station, so he could set his things down. "Don't you have work you should be doing? You are getting in the way. I need to fix my lovely gem's golden mane."

"Oh, you're no fun. By the way, you're in America; your name is _Paul_!" Bethany didn't leave. "So, how many points ahead does this put Ash?"

The flamboyant stylist gaped at her. "My name is _Paolo_. Not Paul! Paul is a pathetic excuse for a name!"

The blonde rolled her eyes with a smile. "Oh, do not get him started. My little DaVinci is quite sensitive when it comes to his name." She gave him a comforting pat on the hand, when she heard mumbling in Italian under his breath about "stupid Americans." "As for Ash, I wouldn't worry too much about the score at the moment. I have a plan that will put me _very_far ahead." She grinned.

Paolo grinned back at her, giving her their special handshake. "Oh, my dear, you always were a devious one."

Bethany's expression changed. "You know, this war you two have is amusing and all...but Christ, don't kill each other." A call of "coffee run!" floated upstairs, and Bethany turned, shouting, "Get your own goddamn coffee, you lazy asses!" She turned back. "Honestly, I can't for the life of me get myself fired! I have done everything I can think of, yet they keep me around." She pulled out her phone. "Hey Kristi." She took a quick picture of the blonde when she turned to look. "Gotta go."

"Bethany!" The blonde tried going after her, but Paolo was quick to hold her back.

"Leave it be, my gem. We both know that if either of you could actually die, she would have died long ago."

Kristi smiled up at him. "How is it that you always know what to say to make me feel better?"

"When you've had a best friend for a hundred years, you learn how to keep them happy. We immortals have to stick together, you know." He leaned down to give her a quick peck on the lips.

The blonde leaned back with a sigh. "If only you were into girls, Paolo. We would have been destined as consorts. And we would have been the most gorgeous couple in the world." She grinned at him.

Paolo grinned back. "Oh, you know you are my one true soul mate. We'll be together forever. Just not in the sexual consort sense."

* * *

Ash looked up as her phone beeped. She laughed at the picture of Kristi, texting back, "_Damn I'm good_."

"_Yeah, but Kristi is kinda peeved. I'd watch out if I were you_."

Ash let out a snort. "_Kristi can't do anything to me_."

"_I dunno. She sounded serious this time_."

"_Holy shit it's the pope!_"

"_Where?_"

Ash put her phone down with a grin, resuming her game. "EVERY TIME BLUE SHELL! GODDAMN IT!"

* * *

About thirty minutes later, Bethany returned, setting two coffee cups on Paolo's vanity. "Hey, you're starting to look normal again."

The blonde stuck out her tongue at Beth. "Very funny." She reached out to pick up one of the cups, taking a sip, and she handed the other cup back to the stylist.

Paolo took a drink before setting it back down. "In about half an hour, my gem's mane will be back to all of its golden glory."

"Oh God...she's a girl with nice hair! We get it! Why don't you two just get a bottle of champagne and you can fuck her 'golden curls' all you want!"

Kristi and Paolo gave each other a long look before bursting out laughing, replying at the same time, "Been there, tried that."

"Gah! That's a terrifying image! There is something wrong with you two!" Beth's phone suddenly went off, and she looked down at it. "Oh boy. Everyone gird your loins."

"Well, well, look what we have here. It's the blood-sucking wonder, and her loyal sidekick, Pablo!"

"Oh, do shut up, Ashelin. Nobody cares for your opinion here."

"I second that," Paolo chimed in.

"Back off, dainty," Ash said, giving Paolo a look. She hopped up to sit on the vanity in front of the blonde. "I just had to come and see this for myself...perhaps help out a bit?" The lycan picked up a pair of scissors.

Kristi glared at her. "Don't you dare. You know it won't grow back."

The handsome stylist stepped in front of her protectively. "You're not getting anywhere near her with those."

Ash rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You all are far too serious for your own good." She tossed the scissors back down. "Still prefer being dead, Kristi?"

"I'll always prefer being dead to being a smelly bitch." Paolo chuckled behind her.

Ash scowled at the two. "You know, calling me a 'bitch' isn't really so much an insult as it is a fact. We all know I'm a female dog; you want a gold star for pointing it out...continuously?"

"Ash, come on," Bethany said, sensing the tension growing.

"No, I'm not done yet."

"Well, you should be done. You're in a room with not just me, but two people who can kick your ass. I would learn to shut your mouth for once, if I were you."

"Oh please. Me lose to Mr. Scrunchi, over here? Don't insult me, Kristi."

"Ash, let's go," Bethany said, tugging on her arm.

"Not yet!"

Kristi sat forward in her chair with a growl, eyes turning silver. "Don't you dare say another thing about him."

"What are you gonna do, Kristi? We're in a public place. You gonna tackle me down the stairs and bite me, letting everyone see what you really are?" Ash stood up. "You say we're the inferior race...but in all honesty, you're nothing more than the fleas in our fur."

"Oh, really? Is that why in every single record of our peoples' history, the vampires were the ones who controlled hoards of werewolves? And all because the little puppies would do absolutely anything for a taste of our blood."

Ash let out a low growl as she glared at Kristi. "Ash you can drive my car, let's go!" Bethany said desperately.

"Listen here, you: vampires enslaved lyncanthropes, and you're all just sore because we finally revolted and won our freedom. We beat you, and that is something you can never take away."

"Think what you will. But I'm willing to bet that if I cut myself right now and held it out for you to have a taste, you wouldn't be able to resist."

Ash let out a snort. "Don't flatter yourself." She turned towards Bethany. "So can I really drive?"

"Yes, here, knock yourself out," Bethany said, handing over her car keys.

Ash grinned before she looked back at Kristi. "Have fun," she said before she left.

Kristi sat back in the chair, letting Paolo back at her hair. The stylist leaned down to whisper in her ear, "We both know she wouldn't be able to resist. I know for a fact that your blood is delicious. As sweet as a vampire's can be." He brushed his open lips across her neck.

The blonde pushed him away with a laugh. "You tease! Fix my hair right now, you gorgeous man, or I won't give you tickets to the opening night of my show."

Paolo gasped. "Oh, no! We can't have that. I can't miss you starring in our favorite show. Who, may I ask, is going to be your lucky co-star?"

Kristi sighed. "Ah, there has actually been a small problem about that. Our male lead came down with laryngitis, so we need to find someone to replace him as soon as possible. But it's alright. I'm not worrying about it too much. I have an idea." She grinned at Paolo in the mirror.

"You found someone already?" Bethany said. "Why was I not informed?"

"Because it isn't a sure thing yet. It's just an idea."

"Well, tell me! Rehearsal starts in less than an hour, and I need to text this mystery person, being stage manager and all."

"Oh, I still need to talk to Ms. Dubois about it though. I don't want to get anybody's hopes up quite yet."

Bethany sighed in frustration. "Fine. Be that way."

* * *

"Paolo, you are a miracle worker as usual. If you would ever let me pay you, you would get a huge tip."

The stylist grinned at her. "You are my sister in every sense except the actual birth part. I would never make you pay."

"Well thank you, _mon cher_. It looks even better than it did before." The blonde stood, giving her hair a fluff, as she looked in the mirror. "Now, I would love to stay, you know I would, but I need to be leaving so I can talk to Ms. Dubois about my idea before rehearsal starts. So, until next time, dearest." She stood, giving the stylist a hug and peck on the lips.

"Farewell, my gem. Make sure to visit more often." Paolo watched as the blonde left.

* * *

When Kristi reached the auditorium, she walked past the other cast members, excusing herself. Finally, she found the musical director. "Excuse me. Ms. Dubois, may I speak with you privately, _s'il vous plaît_?"

The stout, red-haired woman turned to see her favorite student. "Ah, Kristianna. Of course. Let's speak in my office. What is it you wanted to talk about?" She led the blonde to her office in the back of the theater.

Kristi smiled. "Since Christopher is sick, I had this idea for a replacement for his part. After all, the show must go on."

Ms. Dubois smiled back at her. "Yes, the show must go on..."

* * *

**I'm sure you all noticed that there are words in other languages thrown in there. Though the story takes place in the USA, not every character speaks only English. Here is the language key for the characters:**

**Kristi and Ms. Dubois are both originally from France, so they speak French.**

**Paolo is from Italy, so, of course, he speaks Italian.**

**Neither Denpa or I speak any of these languages or the ones that will be used in the future. We use a handy thing called Google Translate. Here's how to get there just in case you want to look things up: ****1) Go to the home google page. 2) In the search box, type in "google translate." 3) After clicking "search," the proper link should be the very first one shown.**

**When characters are only saying one or two words in their respective languages, you can look it up on your own if you like. They aren't anything more than pet names or explanations and such. But if anything longer than that is said in another language, at the end of the chapter, I will put up a translation, because sometimes Google Translate isn't the most reliable when translating longer things back into English. Hope you all enjoyed. New chapters will be up soon, and reviews are always welcome :)**


	2. Chapter 2

******My buddy "Denpa Wave Chick Saki" co-wrote this with me. Enjoy!**

****Late into the night found Ash still sitting on the couch, her fingers mashing buttons furiously on the controller. "Come on..." Her efforts were wasted, as her character was killed yet again. "DAMN IT! THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SCREW ME OVER, GAME!" She threw the controller down, where it bounced off the floor and ricocheted off the wall, leaving a nice dent behind. A growl from the lycan's stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten in a while, so she stood up and, after a quick stretch, began rummaging through their tiny kitchen.

Kristi walked into their apartment and followed the noises to find Ash in the kitchen. "Hello, Ashelin. Nice night, isn't it?" She gave her a smile.

The lycan froze, turning to face the blonde. "Look, I'm hungry, and I don't have the energy to deal with you, so if you're gonna bite me, just do it now and get it over with."

"Oh, I have something better for you than just a bite."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" She turned back to her rummaging. "Actually, I don't care, and I'm going to just ignore you now."

"I wouldn't ignore me, if I were you, Ashelin. You're going to need me to run lines with you."

She turned back to her roommate. "Kristi, if you have something to say to me, just- wait. Run...lines?"

"Yes, congratulations, Ashelin. You have been chosen to play one of the lead roles in the school musical." She clapped her hands for her.

Ash stared at her, shaking her head slowly. "It's finally happened: you finally snapped and lost what was left of your mind. Now I can get a new roommate."

"No, I haven't lost my mind. Here's your script, Ash." She tossed her a rather thick book. "You'll be expected to know those by rehearsal tomorrow."

Ash caught the book square in her chest, and she let out a grunt. "What the...Kristi, what are you playing at? This isn't even a _decent_ prank! I didn't try out for the musical, and besides, this is a _man_'s part."

"If you don't believe me, show up at rehearsal tomorrow and ask Ms. Dubois yourself."

"No! I'm not waking up early on a _saturday_ just to spend _all day_ at some stupid rehearsal!" The lycan tossed the script onto the counter. "Cut the crap Kristi, because I'm not buying this at all."

"Alright. Suit yourself. I can't wait until I can redecorate my room." She turned and flounced away, drawing up the possibilities in her head.

"Hold on. Your room? I'm not going anywhere, Kristi, so I don't see how this is _your_ room."

"Oh, but it will be my room after you're expelled."

"Expelled? You'd like that wouldn't you?" Ash moved past her and into the bedroom, where she began changing into her night clothes.

"And I can't wait for it to happen." She laid back on the bed with a smile. "Only a few more days..."

"Kristi, you don't know what the hell you're talking about. I am _not_ in the musical, and I am _not_ being expelled." She hopped into her bed, kicking at a few pillows.

"You won't be saying that when it happens, Ash. I highly suggest that you don't miss rehearsal tomorrow."

"Fine! I will play along with this little game of yours but only to prove that you are crazy." Ash buried herself under the mountain of pillows, tangling up in her sheets in the process. "Perfect."

* * *

Ash was not one who liked to be woken up, especially early in the morning. So when she felt an electric shock run through her body, she wasn't particularly in a good mood. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?"

"You're going to miss rehearsal."

Ash let out a growl. "What time is it?"

"7:30 AM. Rehearsal is in half an hour. Don't be late." Kristi threw a pillow at the werewolf before picking up her bag. "And don't forget your script." She left the apartment.

The lycan tried to get up, only to remember she was entangled in the sheets, which brought her crashing to the ground. "KRIST!" She freed herself and quickly threw an outfit on, grabbing her script and holding it in her teeth on the way out, as her hands were busy doing up her jeans as she chased after the blonde. "Kristi!" she shouted again, her voice muffled by the script. Kristi continued walking, humming one of the songs to herself with a smile. Ash finally caught up with her and began berating her, forgetting her script was still in her mouth and was currently being drooled on.

The blonde snatched the script from Ash's mouth, wiping the spit off onto the brunette's shirt. "That is not way to treat your script, Ashelin!"

The lycan snatched it back from her. "Oh, get over it. It's just paper. Besides, my only intention is to prove you wrong, so I don't plan on actually using this. Besides, it's not like this is even a _good _play."

"Are kidding me? This play is famous!"

"Doesn't mean it's good. I mean, come on! The Phantom is a wuss! The whole play, he likes that annoying chick, and at the end, when he can finally get rid of that annoying guy, he chickens out!"

"It's because he realizes that if he truly loves her, then he would let her go, because she deserves a happy life with the man that _she _loves!"

Ash stuck her tongue out. "After everything he did prior to that? Please. WUSS."

"God, you are so insensitive!" She stormed off.

The lycan rolled her eyes and followed after the blonde. "That's funny, coming from a person who attacks me constantly and drinks my blood until I pass out."

"That's it!" Her face brightened. "I get it now!"

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? Get what?"

"Now I really understand why you don't have a boyfriend. Not only is it your complete lack of curves and stand-offish attitude, but it's also your utter lack of femininity. You don't have a single romantic bone in your body!"

_Ashelin, please! If you keep this up, you're never going to find a husband! _The lycan looked down, forcing the memory to the deep recesses of her mind. "I don't need a boy to make me happy. And did it perhaps occur to you that I just don't _want _a boyfriend? I could very well get one if I tried!"

"Oh, _please_! No man would be willing to step within 10 feet of you with romantic intentions!"

"Maybe none of _your _type of men. I'll have you know I had a boyfriend for over 100 years!"

"Oh, sure...And where is he now? I see he finally tired of you and left you. Tragic really..." The blonde opened the backstage door to the theater and went in. Ash didn't reply to that, but just followed the blonde in.

"Hey, be careful with that! Yeah, I know, okay! It's a big fucking chandelier, and if you drop it, we will all die, because the stage will collapse in on itself!"

Kristi chuckled, setting her purse down on one of the seats. "Bethany, with all of your drama, you should be on stage performing, not managing the backstage."

"You know everything would fall apart if I weren't here. No one can keep track of everything like I can," Bethany replied, not turning to look at the blonde, as she was watching the rising chandelier. "More, more...all right, that's good! Now make sure it's tied _right _this time! Let's not kill Christine and end this play early, yeah?" Bethany finally turned and paused. "Ash? I didn't realize it was even possible for you to be awake at this hour."

"You're oh so funny," Ash replied. "And I'm only here to prove to this _maniac _that I am not part of this freak show."

Bethany looked at Kristi. "You didn't tell her what I said, did you?"

The blonde simply grinned, turning to see Ms. Dubois standing center stage. The red-haired woman clapped her hands and called the cast and crew forward. "Please gather around. I have some very important news for you all." When everybody was gathered around, she continued, "We have found a replacement for Christopher. I would like you all to give a warm welcome to Ms. Ashelin Valente, who will be stepping in for the role of Erik. I know that she may not, well, seem to fit the part, but with the show in only a week, we are quite desperate."

Ash felt her heart drop straight past her stomach and into her pelvic region. "Wha- NO NO NO NO NO!"

Kristi quickly slapped a hand over Ash's mouth, silencing her. Ms. Dubois shooed the group away. "Now, back to work people! We have dress rehearsals to begin tomorrow!"

"Well, shit. Didn't see that coming," Bethany said, scratching her head.

The lycan bit down on Kristi's hand hard. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" She lunged for the blonde.

The blonde jumped back with a yelp, clutching her hand to her chest. She quickly maneuvered behind Ash, whispering in her ear, "You pissed off the wrong person, Ash. I told you I would get even."

Ash swung as she turned, only to feel Kristi catch her wrist. "Let go! You've gone too far this time, Kristi!"

"I believe Ms. Dubois would like to speak with you, Ashelin." She gestured to the woman waiting for them to finish.

The lycan yanked her arm away with a growl. "We are not finished," she hissed before she turned and approached the redhead. "Look, there's been a mix-up. My sadistic roommate volunteered me for this, and I want _no _part of it, so if you could just find someone else-"

Ms. Dubois' smile was swept away. "I'm sure Kristianna told you about your imminent expulsion if you do not participate."

"R-really? Is that really...a thing? Because that is some _bullshit_! A-A person shouldn't be expelled just because they don't want to participate in a production that _someone else _signed them up for. That's...it's bullshit!"

Kristi pulled an extremely thick book out from behind her back, handing it over to Ash. "Well you see, according to the school bylaws—on page 564, section 3, subsection 6, lines 5-9, to be exact—'Any student who, after being cast in a theater production, withdraws from the production for any excuse (other than serious injuries or illness, which would prevent said student from performing) will be expelled from this institution.'" Kristi watched as Ash's expression turn to pure shock.

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE! THEATER HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY EDUCATION!" She turned back to Ms. Dubois. "This isn't fair! Kristi did this to me out of _spite_, not because she cares about this show!"

"On the contrary, Ashelin, I did it for both reasons," the blonde chimed in.

The redhead shook her head. "Those are the rules, and they _will _be followed."

Ash sighed, running her hands through her hair. "Fuck..." She glared back at Kristi, getting right in her face. "It's a good thing you're already dead..."

"Oh, dear. You have me shaking in my designer shoes." She smirked. Ash resisted the impulse to grab Kristi by the neck. Instead, she stomped out into the house and sat, crossing her arms huffily. Kristi followed close behind, giving her a tap on the shoulder. "Oh, Ashelin?"

"WHAT?" The blonde quickly pulled her close by the neck, pressing her lips heavily against Ash's. The lycan inhaled sharply and shoved Kristi away. "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?" she shouted, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Kristi grinned before sauntering back to the stage, calling behind her, "I just wanted to get our first kiss over with."

"Our...EXCUSE ME?" Ash followed, scrambling onto the stage. "We have to kiss? MULTIPLE TIMES? And that doesn't bother you?"

"Well, of course. We must kiss during the rehearsals and during every show." She picked up her pointe shoes to rehearse for the opening dance number. The blonde sat down on top of the vanity just off stage, starting to pull them on. "And no, it does not bother me. I am an actress, and I will not let my personal distastes for you ruin the show."

Ash stared at her. "It bothers me! I don't want to keep kissing you! You'll bite me! I have to sleep in the same room as you! I don't want to wake up one night and suddenly find you over me with...I don't know, a strap-on or something!"

"For Christ's sake, Ashelin! Why the hell would I ever want to do something like that with you of all people? If I were going to fuck a girl, I would make sure she were pretty at least."

"Sure. That's what you'd _like _me to think."

"Alright, you two. Enough fooling around. We need to start our first run-through," Bethany said. "Ash, you're offstage, so shoo!" The lycan scowled at her but disappeared into the wings. "We're starting from 'Think of Me'. Kristi, don't push those notes today; we need your voice for the actual performances."

The blonde moved to stand center stage with a smile. "Beth, I've been singing long enough to know that this will not push me even close to too far."

"Humor me because right now, I own you all! Now act for me, my slaves!" Bethany said, waving her hand with a dramatic flourish before she hopped offstage.

Kristi rolled her eyes. "Since when are we slaves?"

"I SAID SING, WOMAN!" Bethany poked her head up just above stage level. "DON'T MAKE ME COME UP THERE!"

The blonde giggled before starting to sing. "_Think of me, think of me fondly, when we've said goodbye. Remember me once in a while, please promise me you'll try. When you find that, once again, you long to take your heart back and be free, if you ever find a moment spare a thought for me...We never said our love was evergreen, or as unchanging as the sea, but if you can still remember, stop and think of me_..."

Bethany nodded in approval, and when the song finished and a few lines were exchanged, there was silence. The brunette waited...nothing. "WHERE IS MY PHANTOM?"

Backstage, Ash jumped. "Wha- oh!" She looked down at her script. "Uh...where are we?"

Bethany's eyes narrowed, before she hopped onstage. "ASH GET OUT HERE!"

Kristi clapped a hand over her mouth to hide a laugh. "It appears our phantom is invisible."

The lycan came onstage, where Bethany snatched her script from her and whacked her over the head with it. "PAY ATTENTION!" The brunette stalked back into the house. "Pick it up from Giry's lines!"

Ash rubbed her head, before she retreated back into the wings, finding their place in the script. When her cue came, the lycan called from offstage, "Brava, brava, bravissima..."

"THANK YOU! RESUME!"

Kristi knelt down on the stage, looking down at her hands in her lap, as her friend, Jill, came to kneel beside her singing, "_Where in the world have you been hiding? Really, you were perfect! I only wish I knew your secret! Who is this new tutor_?"

The blonde looked around. "_Father once spoke of an angel; I used to dream he'd appear. Now as I sing I can sense him, and I know he's here...Here in this room he calls me softly, somewhere inside, hiding. Somehow I know he's always with me...he, the unseen genius_..."

Jill put a hand on her shoulder in concern. "_I watched your face from the shadows. Distant through all the applause. I hear your voice in the darkness, but the words aren't yours_."

Kristi looked up to the lights over the house. "_Angel of Music! Guide and guardian! Grant to me your glory!_"

"_Who is this angel? This..._"

They sang together, "_Angel of Music! Hide no longer! Secret and strange angel..._"

"_He's with me, even now..._"

Jill put her hands on the blonde's squeezing them in shock. "_Your hands are cold..._"

She shook in fear. "_All around me..._"

"_Your face, Christine, it's white..._"

"_It frightens me..._"

"_Don't be frightened..._"

"STOP!" Bethany poked her head up again. "Very good you two, but it would appear that SOMEONE seems to be falling asleep. YES I CAN SEE YOU ASH! YOU THINK I'M BLIND? I SEE EVERYTHING! We're skipping ahead to 'The Mirror'. You're on Ash! Impress me OR PERISH!"

The lycan had never seen Bethany like this, and for once, she was afraid of her. She looked down at her script, her heart skipping a beat when she realized her lines were singing. _God I hope I do this right... _"_Insolent boy! This slave of fashion, basking in your glory_!"

"I WANT YOU TO MEAN IT ASH!"

"_Ignorant fool! This brave young suitor, sharing in my triumph!_"

"ENERGY DAMNIT!"

Kristi hid a giggle. "Ashelin, it seems like you're not even trying."

"KRISTI, THAT IS NOT SINGING I HEAR! SHOW HER HOW IT'S DONE!"

The blonde turned to Beth, giving her a low curtsy. "Yes, your highness." Kristi turned to center stage, belting out Ash's part perfectly.

Bethany smacked herself in the head with her clipboard. "I MEANT YOUR PART, KRISTI! But good job anyway."

"Perhaps you should be more specific next time, almighty goddess of the stage." She grinned before singing her own part. "_Angel! I hear you! Speak, I listen...stay by my side, guide me! Angel, my soul was weak, forgive me...enter at last, Master!_"

Ash set her jaw, as she tried to remain calm. She knew how to sing...and it was better to just go along with this than to fight it. "_Flattering child, you shall know me. See why in shadows I hide. Look at your face in the mirror; I am there inside!_"

"_Angel of Music! Guide and guardian! Grant to me your glory! Angel of Music! Hide no longer! Come to me, strange angel..._" The blonde reached out towards the mirror, seemingly entranced. Ash reluctantly took Kristi's hand and yanked her forward, perhaps a little harsher than necessary.

"PLAY NICE YOU TWO!"

Kristi glared at her before starting her part. "_In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came, that voice which calls to me and speaks my name...And do I dream again? For now I find the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside my mind..._"

Ash returned the glare with equal hatred. "_Sing once again with me, our strange duet. My power over you, grows stronger yet. And though you turn from me to glance behind. The Phantom of the Opera is there, inside your mind._"

"_Those who have seen your face draw back in fear. I am the mask you wear..._" The blonde quickly stuck out her tongue at Ash.

"_It's me they hear._" Ash returned the gesture, while flipping her off.

"ALL RIGHT, ENOUGH!" Bethany hopped onto the stage, a hand to her forehead. "It's obvious you two have some issues you need to work out, so here's how this is gonna go; you two are going to go down in the basement to the practice room and work with each other. That way you can fight all you want, and I won't have to worry about the stage being destroyed."

"Well, I wouldn't want to destroy the practice room either."

"No I don't care about that room. Now go!"

"Alright. I think Ashelin could use a few private lessons, anyway." She grinned and headed for the stairs.

"Don't kill each other. I don't have time to find replacements."

Ash reluctantly followed the blonde into the basement. "Oh, this isn't suspicious at all. Just you and me, down in the basement...alone...with no witnesses..." A pause. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" She made to tackle Kristi.

The blonde easily dodged, slamming Ash up against the concrete wall. "I am not going to sit down here and fight with you. You need some serious practice to be ready in time for the show. So unless you want me to pester you constantly until the performances start, you will listen to me and start rehearsing."

Ash let out a grunt, as she was held against the wall. "Fine! We'll practice for your stupid show!"

"Good." She let the werewolf down. "Let's move on to act two. You have many more lines there." Ash looked down at her script. It was going to be a long day...

* * *

"Kristi...are we almost done? It's been hours..."

"Absolutely not. You barely have half of your lines down. We still need to get the rest of your lines, get you fitted for your costumes, and teach you the stage directions. The first dress rehearsal is tomorrow. You need to be ready for it."

Ash looked at her in slight disbelief. "Are you trying to kill me?" She leaned back against the wall with a sigh. "Can't we at least stop for a bite to eat?"

Kristi sighed. "Fine. You have ten minutes to go grab food. Then I will measure you for your costume and we can move on to stage directions."

The lycan bolted from the room, heading into the nearest food place she could find. Ash briefly considered not going back, but that would only create more problems than solutions, so she scarfed what she could before returning to the basement, finding Kristi absent when she arrived. "Finally, a chance to rest." She leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes.

"Get up!" The blonde returned to the basement, throwing a costume at Ash. "And put that on."

Ash opened her eyes, looking down at the pile of clothing. She sighed before stripping down and slipping into the costume. "I think I may drown in this..."

"Such a shame..." Kristi set about pinning Ash's costume, fitting it to her. After circling around her and observing. She shook her head. "You're going to have to bind up what little breasts you have."

The lycan made a face at her. "Make fun all you want, Kristi. At least with small breasts, I know that men appreciate _me _and not my attributes." She looked pointedly at Kristi's chest. "Unlike _some _people..."

"First off, this is how I was born. I might as well use it, if I've got it. And secondly, I was not kidding. You're going to have to bind your breasts. You're playing a man's part, Ashelin. We can't have a phantom with even a hint of breasts visible. It would ruin the entire show."

"I know that! Well...the binding part anyway. And fine, do what you want. You must secretly love me or something. I mean, you cast me in a part where we have to kiss, and now you're going on about my breasts...is there something you want to tell me, Kristi?" Ash flashed her a grin.

The blonde "accidentally" jabbed her with a pin before pulling the coat off of her and handing her the next costume. "You _wish _I was attracted to you, don't you? Being a vampire practically automatically makes me bisexual. I will admit that I fantasize about women every so often, but believe me when I say: I do not have any desire to fuck the likes of you. A flat chest and bitchy attitude do not exactly turn me on."

Ash let out a yelp at being jabbed and rubbed the afflicted area before changing into her next costume. "You know, such denial isn't helping to prove your point."

Kristi started pinning the next costume. "Ashelin, give it up, would you? If I wanted to fuck you at all, I would have already done so long ago."

"Being in love with someone doesn't mean you just want to fuck them..." Ash trailed off, her gaze wandering down. "But perhaps you wouldn't know about that, being all pretty and...gifted."

"How the hell did you get the idea that I'm in love with you? We are complete polar opposites, and we hate each other. Never in a million years would that happen."

"Oh my god, Kristi! Calm down! You know we're not in love, so chill out."

"Then don't fucking imply it!" She finished with the pinning. "Alright, I'm done. You can put your own clothes back on."

Ash raised an eyebrow, stripping down to her underwear, but instead of grabbing her clothes, she turned back to her roommate. "Why are you getting so worked up about this anyway? I was only fooling with you...why so defensive?"

Kristi turned away from her, her shoulders sagging, as she folded Ash's costumes. "Because I'm tired," she sighed.

"Then just rest. God, you've been running around all week. I know you're dead, and I know you don't sleep...but damn, woman; give yourself some time to recover."

The blonde slammed her fist down on the table, cracking the wood. "It isn't just that, God damn it! I'm tired of this. All of it! I'm tired of pretending to be something I'm not. I'm tired of having to constantly defend myself when I'm being nearly interrogated...And I'm tired of you."

Ash looked down, fists clenching and unclenching. "I..." A wave of anger washed over her. "I'm tired of you too! You're not the only one with problems, you know! You always want to blame everything on me, when you're the one who comes in every night and attacks me for a meal! I'm sick of it, and if other people didn't have to die because of your feeding habits, I'd say I'm through! But fine...I'll go." The lycan turned and left the practice room.

Kristi collapsed into a chair. She took out her phone to check the time. She pulled out her sewing supplies and set about working on Ash's costumes. When the blonde finished nearly an hour later, she realized just how tired she really was. She leaned forward onto the table, resting her head on her arms, and let herself drift into the coma-like state that a vampire used for rest.

* * *

It had been some time since Bethany had seen her two lead actresses, so she decided to go searching for them. "I swear to god, if those two killed each other..." she muttered as she made her way down into the basement. She walked into the practice room and found Kristi apparently asleep. "Hey blondie, where's the phantom?" she asked, shaking her. There was no response, and Bethany was reminded that Kristi wasn't actually asleep. She pulled out her phone and texted the blonde's boyfriend, saying, "_Hey you with the face. Come get your girlfriend_."

Eric replied, "_Why, what happened to her?_"

"_She's 'sleeping' if you know what I mean_."

"_Ah. I'll be right over_."

Bethany put her phone away and leaned against the wall, looking down at her clipboard as she waited for Eric to show up. As she grew bored, she pulled out her phone again and texted Eric, "_Hurry before I rape her._"

When the handsome blonde ran into the room, he glared at Bethany. "You better not have done anything to her."

"Oh relax. Do you really think I would do anything to her?" Bethany said, straightening up. "Deflate your ego a little."

Eric leaned down to lift the vampire into his arms. "You do realize that unless we find a way to wake her up, she might miss the entire rehearsal today, right?"

"Hmm..." Bethany paused in thought. "I've got it." She pulled out her phone and texted Ash, saying, "_Hey, come down here_."

* * *

Back at their room, Ash's phone beeped, and she looked at it, seeing it was Bethany...and she was being summoned. The lycan groaned, texting "_All right. Be right there_," before she rolled off the bed.

A few minutes later, Bethany heard Ash approaching and saw her enter the room. "So why am I here?"

"For this," Bethany replied, quickly reaching out and using a sharp corner on her clipboard to make a small cut on Ash's arm.

"Ow! What the hell?" Ash snapped as a few trickles of blood started down her arm. Bethany grabbed Ash's arm and held the bleeding wound right under Kristi's nose. The blonde's eyes slowly opened, and her nose wrinkled a little, as she leaned forward to sniff the blood.

"NO!" Ash shouted, pulling away from Bethany. "She'll start drinking it!"

Kristi looked away from the brunette's bleeding arm. "What happened?"

"You fell asleep...or whatever it is you do," Bethany said. "Now are you ready? Rehearsal starts soon."

The blonde nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"All right. Let's get going then. If we fall behind schedule, I will be _very_unhappy." She left the room, trusting her cast to follow.

Ash scowled, as she licked away the blood on her arm. "Goddamnit..."

Kristi threw Ash's costumes at her. "Get changed."

The lycan growled, as they hit her in the face. "You can't tell me what to do! Well, I mean, you can...but that doesn't mean I have to listen!"

"I can't, but Ms. Dubois can."

"Well, unreasonable French teacher is not here, so ha." Ash stuck her tongue out at the blonde.

"No, but I can easily go fetch her. Rehearsal starts in ten minutes. You better be ready." The blonde left the room with Eric.

Ash swore under her breath as she changed into her first costume, carrying the others under her arm, as she followed the couple back to the theater.

"WHERE SHOULD YOU BE STANDING? I'LL GIVE YOU A HINT: IT'S NOT THERE!"

"Bethany, calm down. You're going to hurt yourself," Ash said, as she passed her.

"NO I'M USED TO YELLING, THANK YOU!"

Kristi and Eric each went into the changing rooms to put their own costumes on, and the vampire was the first one done, sitting on the side of the stage strapping on her shoes.

"All right, we're starting from the beginning. Everyone takes your places please, and impress me!" Bethany called, moving to sit in the front row.

Ash made her way backstage, flicking Kristi in the back of the head as she did so. She watched all the others scramble around furiously, and she crossed her arms with a sigh.

The blonde gave her a quick smack back before running out on stage with Jill at their cue.

Ash glared at her, but there was nothing she could do with Kristi onstage and Bethany watching, ready to yell at someone if needed. She instead sat with a huff, waiting for her cue.


	3. Chapter 3

******Be warned: Mature content is starting early in this story. As always, my buddy "Denpa Wave Chick Saki" co-wrote this with me. Enjoy!**

Squeak. Squeak. Squeeeeaaakkk.

"What the hell is up with this boat? You know what, no. Fuck this. We're swimming."

"What? Oh, no. Ashelin, don't you-" the blonde hissed at her, but it was too late.

The brunette hopped from the boat. "Come on, blondie. Let's go."

"THAT IS NOT SINGING!"

"THIS BOAT IS NOT MOVING!"

"Stop deviating from the lines! We don't have time for this!" Ms. Dubois shouted from her spot at the back of the house. "Somebody put some WD-40 on those wheels, and let's start the scene again!"

Bethany put a hand to her throbbing head. "Reset lights!" she called, before she hopped onstage to fix the wheels.

Ash let out a sigh. "I don't understand why you're still allowing me to stay."

The kneeling brunette glared up at her. "Because we're desperate. Now the sooner you do this right, the sooner you can go." She stood and returned to her place in the house. The lycan sighed again before moving the boat back to its original position and hopping back in.

"I blame you," she hissed at the blonde.

"You deserve it." Kristi crossed her arms. "And like Beth said: we're desperate."

"Apparently so," Ash growled back.

"RESUME, I SAID!"

"FUCK YOU, BETHANY!"

"DON'T MAKE ME COME UP THERE!"

Ash let out another growl, before she picked up from where the scene started, the boat moving much easier this time and traveling perhaps a little too quickly across the stage.

"Miss Valente, start over! The boat needs to move much slower!" The lycan almost shouted something back, but she refrained, instead getting out and pushing the boat back, swearing under her breath before she got back in, this time moving across the stage exceedingly slow. Kristi shook her head with a sigh, palming her forehead in frustration.

Bethany stood, shouting, "Stop, stop! This is too painful. Please, just skip to the Phantom's lair..."

The blonde lifted her skirt and stepped out of the boat, bumping Ash on her way with a glare. "Couldn't you at least try, for Christ's sake? You don't realize how much effort and time all of us have put into this production."

Ash glared at her, hopping out of the boat again. "I am trying! Excuse me if I don't share your enthusiasm, but I don't exactly appreciate being thrown into roles I didn't ask for! You should have thought of that before you did this to me! You've no one to blame but yourself."

"I know you lack the enthusiasm, but I thought even a dog like you would have enough love for humans not to let their work go to waste."

"Oh, is that what this comes down to? You do this out of love for humans? Funny, coming from you of all people."

"No. This is what comes down to for _you_. You may not wish to do it for yourself or for me, but, damn it, do it for Bethany and everybody else."

Ash let out a growl. "Fine, but only because I don't want Bethany murdering me in my sleep...and maybe I'd be more cooperative if you didn't act so bitchy towards me." The brunette moved to take her place for the next scene. Kristi didn't reply to her, instead giving Erik a quick kiss when he came out to take his place. She went to her own spot after.

When Bethany said "action," Ash didn't wait to throw the rope at Erik, pushing him up against the metal grate. "_Nothing can save you now, except for perhaps Christine_," she sang as she tied him to the grate, turning to look at the blonde. "_Start a new life with me, buy his freedom with your love. Choose me or send your lover to his death."_ The brunette turned to slip the rope around Erik's neck, stringing it through the metal bars and taking one end on her hand, whipping to face Kristi again. "_This is the point of no return!"_

Kristi looked between the two of them before singing, "_Angel of music, you deceived me.._."

"You tried my patience, now make your choice," Ash said, pulling on the rope none too gently.

The blonde slowly walked towards her through the smoke covering the ground, singing sadly, "_Pitiful creature of darkness, what kind of life have you known? God give me courage to show you, you are not alone_." She carefully eyed the rope, and when she reached Ash, she pulled her into a hard kiss.

As much as she told herself she hated it and she wanted it to be over, Ash didn't altogether despise the kiss. She kept the tension in the rope the whole time, finding amusement in the fact that she was strangling Erik while kissing his girlfriend, and she didn't release him even after she broke away from the blonde.

Kristi played her part, pulling away and looking up at the phantom, but before she said anything more, she cast a quick glance at Erik. "Ashelin, what are you doing? You're actually strangling him!" The blonde wrenched the rope from her hand, quickly freeing her boyfriend.

The brunette had to keep from laughing, as she shouted, "Take him and go! Forget about me, and all of this! Take the boat and go now!" She ran up the stairs and disappeared, though she couldn't completely stifle her laughter backstage. Bethany shook her head, but she figured it was as close to the actual play as they were going to get.

Kristi helped her boyfriend to his feet, glaring at the brunette as she ran off. "Don't worry, Erik. I won't let her get away with hurting you like that."

"All right, I think that will about do it for tonight," Bethany said, glancing at her watch, before she stood, collecting up her papers. "Everyone be here tomorrow, ON TIME PLEASE."

Ash emerged from the wings, moving to sit on the edge of the stage with a sigh, as she watched everyone trickle out the doors. "How was that, Beth?"

The brunette shook her head. "Ash, please try to refrain from killing anyone. That's all I'm asking."

"Will do."

Ms. Dubois came up to the two girls, glancing up at them from her clipboard. "Do not be late tomorrow, girls. Don't forget that we don't have very many full run throughs left before opening night."

* * *

It was later that night that Ash found herself running back and forth between tables and the kitchen, dealing with the fancy customers who came walking through the doors of the restaurant. The lycan quickly stuffed another tip into her apron pocket before noticing a new couple sitting at one of her tables. She approached, pulling out her notepad and not looking up from flipping pages, as she said, "Good evening, my name is Ashelin, and I'll be your waitress tonight."

Kristi looked up to order, and, to her disappointment, she saw Ashelin standing over them. "I'll have the steak dinner _extra _rare. What would you like, darling?" She looked over at the other blonde across the table.

Erik held his menu out to the brunette. "I'll have the same, but make my steak medium rare."

Ash froze at the voice and looked up. "Oh...hello," she growled. She wrote down their orders before taking their menus. "Anything to drink? Perhaps a blood cocktail?"

The blonde forced a smile. "That would be lovely, thank you."

The lycan paused. "Um...we don't actually...whatever. You can have water." She left the table, replacing the menus before filling two glasses with water and returning, placing both glasses on the table. "Anything else?"

"No. Now be a good little puppy and go fetch our food."

Ash bit back her response, before she moved to another table, taking their order and then heading to the kitchen to hand the slips of paper over. After a while, the food was ready, and the lycan picked up the plates, returning to their table. "Medium rare," she said, placing the steak in front of Erik, "and extra rare." She placed the plate of raw meat in front of Kristi. "Enjoy."

After Ash left, Kristi looked down at her steak with a frown. "She knew that _this _was not what I meant." She poked the steak with her fork. The brunette, meanwhile, had left to take a bathroom break. Kristi watched her leave, getting up from her chair. "I'll be right back, darling." She gave a small growl before following the werewolf into the bathroom. Upon finishing, Ash moved to the sink, looking down as she washed her hands. The blonde silently locked the door before pinning Ash's hands to her sides and burying her fangs into her neck.

The lycan let out a cry of surprise and pain, struggling against the blonde. "Kristi, I'm at work! Can't you wait until tonight?" she shouted, thrusting her leg back to kick the vampire's shin.

Kristi forced her up against the wall. "You fucked with me too many times today, Ashelin." She bit the brunette again, harder this time.

Ash felt fur ripple across her body, and she let out another cry, continuing to struggle against her roommate. "Kristi...get off!" The brunette brought her leg up again to kick the blonde. The vampire caught Ash's leg with her hand, stopping it. She continued gulping down the brunette's blood with a moan. Ash felt herself growing weaker, and her strugglings started to slow. The brunette slumped forward against the blonde, her breathing shallow, as she felt herself start to lose consciousness.

Kristi let her slump to the floor. She licked every last trace of blood from her neck before biting into her own wrist. The blonde dabbed just enough of her own blood onto Ash's wounds to make them disappear. She stood back with a satisfied grin. When Kristi left the bathroom, she ran into one of Ash's employees, who looked like she had heard all of the brunette's screams and was very frightened. The vampire lifted the redhead's chin, looking straight into her eyes with her own silver ones. She spoke calmly, using her power to change her memories, "You didn't hear anything just now. You were on your way to the bathroom when you realized you forgot to do something in the kitchen."

The girl stared at her blankly. "Yes...I forgot...something..." She turned and went back towards the kitchen.

Kristi left the hallyway, heading over to the restaurant manager's office. After knocking, she stepped inside. "Excuse me, sir. I was just on my way to use your restrooms, but it seems as though one of your employees may have...well, fallen asleep in there. I just thought you might want to know."

The man scowled at the information. "Yes, thank you very much, ma'am, for telling me. I'll see to it that the problem is taken care of right away."

The blonde smiled at him before leaving his office and returning to her seat across from Erik. She pushed the steak a little away from her, her eyes flashing silver over at him. "It turns out I'm not all that hungry anymore." She licked her lips with a grin.

Erik returned her smirk. "I love it when you go all vampiry." He looked down at his food and back up at her. "Perhaps you hunger for something else? We could have them pack up our food and go do...other things?"

Kristi nodded, her fangs reemerging at the thought already. "That sounds fabulous..."

* * *

The sound of her manager yelling at her woke the brunette, and nothing she said could convince him that she had, in fact, passed out and was not sleeping. So, the brunette was unemployed once again, and as she headed back to their apartment that night, she let out a sigh. After unlocking the door, she moved to flop on the bed with another sigh, knowing she'd have to move to get food soon, or she'd never wake up in time for rehearsal. The brunette sat up with a groan, dragging herself into the kitchen and rummaging through the cabinets, finally making herself a bag of popcorn before settling on the couch and turning on the TV, figuring she'd most likely be asleep when (or if) Kristi ever got back.

As her alarm went off the next morning, Ash rolled off the couch with a groan, looking at the clock with a gasp. "Shit, I'm late!"

* * *

Bethany looked at her watch, tapping her foot impatiently. She finally turned towards the stage and shouted, "DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE ASH IS SO I CAN MURDER HER?"

"No, I haven't seen her." Kristi came on stage in her first costume, looking around. "But has anybody seen Ms. Dubois? I couldn't find her."

"Fuck! Another person missing?" Bethany threw her clipboard behind her. "I give up!"

Ash came bolting through the door, leaping onstage. "I'm here!"

"IT'S ABOUT TIME!" The lycan ran to throw on her first costume, shaking her head as an odd stench hit her, but she ignored it.

"I guess we'll have to get started without her then. Hurry up, Ash!"

"I am hurrying! This is your fault anyway!" Ash shouted back at the blonde.

"Kill each other later, but for right now, let's begin!"

Kristi took her spot next to Jill and the others playing ensemble actors in the first scene. Ash took her own place offstage, waiting for her cue. When the time came to drop the hanged dummy in, the lycan noticed that something seemed...a little amiss. She looked at the blonde, hoping to catch Kristi's eye to see if the vampire detected something too.

An odd smell had been bugging Kristi since they had first started the run through. She couldn't figure out what it was, but it made her nose twitch. It wasn't until the dummy scene as well, that she finally figured it out. When she sat down in her spot, somebody opened a door somewhere backstage and it moved the air just right for the vampire to get a full sniff of the smell. Her eyes widened, and she looked up, her gaze locking with Ash's. She mouthed one word to her, "Blood."

The lycan knew something had been wrong. Quickly, she scaled up a ladder into the rafters, making her way across the beams to where the rope was tied. From where she was, the brunette could get a better look at the body, and the markings left behind. They were familiar, though Ash didn't want to admit why. She quickly made her way back down to the stage, moving through the wings until she was near the blonde. "Kristi!" she hissed.

When her lines were over for the moment, Kristi whispered back over to her, "Ash, what's going on? Why do I smell dead blood?"

"It's a real body up there. Don't freak out: it's the director."

"No..." The blonde's jaw dropped. She heard screaming behind her and knew the body had dropped down when the dummy was supposed to. Kristi turned to look, clapping a hand over her own mouth in shock, as she took in Ms. Dubois' mauled body. She felt herself tearing up at the sight, but she didn't let any tears fall, knowing it would reveal that she wasn't human.

Before she could think about what she was doing, Ash moved to make a show of examining the body quickly, and then ran over to wrap her arms around the blonde, pulling her close. "You can cry; we'll say it's blood from the body," she breathed quickly. Bethany leapt to her feet, quickly clearing the stage, as she whipped out her phone and dialed 911.

Kristi couldn't stop a single tear from escaping down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away with a sniff, pulling away from the werewolf. "Don't touch me. I don't need your help." The lycan gave the blonde a look before moving away, shaking her head.

"Goddamnit...how did this happen?" Bethany asked once the theater was empty except for the three of them. She looked from Ash to Kristi. "Well?"

The blonde shook her head. "I don't know. I...I didn't figure out what the smell was until...until right before..."

Bethany approached the body, looking down at the marks. "Damn, those look bad..."

"It was a werewolf, okay?" Ash said.

"You did this? I knew you hated the play, but damn Ash-"

"I didn't say it was me! I said it was a werewolf! There are more than just me, you know!"

"Then who the hell else would do this? The only werewolf she knew was you, Ashelin!" Kristi shouted.

"I don't know!" Ash protested, turning on the blonde. "Look, I swear, I didn't do this! All I know is that another werewolf did!" Kristi turned away from her, crossing her arms.

"Well...do you know this mystery werewolf?"

Ash paused. "I...I can't tell," she lied quickly.

"Then find out." The blonde glared over at her.

Ash returned the glare. "I need some time," she growled.

"I don't care. Find. Out." She jabbed her in the chest. The lycan caught her wrist with a growl.

"Alright, you two. Get out of here, before the cops show up. I can't have you two getting arrested for killing each other. I'll deal with this," Bethany said. Kristi pulled her wrist from the werewolf's grasp. She walked off slowly, not actually leaving the theater, but instead she headed up to the rooftop. Ash watched her before she started off, following the faint scent she had picked up from the body.

* * *

The blonde sat on the rooftop for the rest of the day, finally letting her tears flow. Another mortal she loved taken from her life...it would never end. A constant vicious cycle of death and loss and she would live through it all...

* * *

Bethany finally was able to leave the theater, as the sun began to set. The police had finally left, taking the body away, and rehearsal would be cancelled tomorrow. She sighed, kicking at a rock and wondering if the musical was even worth pursuing.

* * *

When she saw the sun nearing the end of its journey, Kristi finally stood, moving back towards the door to the theater. As her hand brushed against the doorway, the sun shone off her ring, catching her eye. The blonde looked at the silver, turning back to face the sun from the shaded doorway. She slid her ring from her finger. Kristi took a deep breath before slowly reaching her arm out into the sun. The vampire gave a cry of pain, falling heavily against the doorway, as her arm burned. She gave a grimace before starting a full step out onto the roof.

* * *

The brunette paused when she heard the cry. "What...?" She turned and looked up towards the roof, before she headed back inside the theater. She made her way up to the roof and squinted, when she saw a familiar figure silhouetted against the sun. "Kristi?" The vampire finished her step, immediately collapsing to her knees in pain. She watched, as smoke started to curl up from her skin as it burned. "Kristi, what are you doing?" Bethany grabbed the vampire, pulling her back out of the sun. "I cannot lose another member of my musical, I don't have anyone to replace you!"

"I can't...take it..." the blonde sobbed, lying on the floor helplessly.

The brunette, unsure of what to do, helped Kristi sit up. "Take what? What's going on? Do you want me to call someone? Erik? Ash?"

"Living forever is not a blessing...it's a curse...Not even one hundred and fifty years of it...and I've already seen so many I love die. Mortality is the blessing..."

"You...you were trying...Kristi, I can't...I don't know what you're going through, and I probably never will...but I can't let you...die. So please...tell me what you need."

Kristi gave a weak chuckle. "I need what every vampire needs...but you should just let me die, Beth. Let me end my misery..."

"Kristi, you know I can't...you would ask me to watch my friend die?" Bethany rolled up her sleeve, holding her arm out to the blonde. "Please...don't force me to watch you die." The vampire looked into her friend's eyes, seeing the sadness in them. She brought Beth's wrist to her mouth, biting into it, as gently as she could. Kristi let out a moan as the blood started to flow into her mouth. The brunette let out a small gasp at the slight pain, and she quickly looked away, trying to distract herself with anything else. "Just...don't kill me, yeah?"

As she gained more strength from the blood, Kristi also felt herself growing more aroused. She pulled Beth closer to her, drinking deeply from her wrist. This was not something Bethany was expecting. She looked back at the blonde. "I take it the blood is helping?"

Kristi pulled away, looking up at her with silver eyes. "I need more..." She growled, crawling on top of her and burying her fangs into the brunette's neck. The vampire writhed on top of her.

Bethany let out another gasp, though the bite was not completely painful that time. She put an arm around Kristi, because that was what felt right, but if this was headed in a sexual direction, the brunette could care less. As she drank, Kristi's hands wandered down to slip under Beth's shirt, moving to massage her breasts.

And there it was. However, Bethany would rather be uncomfortable than have her friend die, so she slid her hands down the back of Kristi's pants, hoping that the blonde wasn't into anything terribly crazy. The vampire gave a soft moan at the touch, her own hands undoing the brunette's pants. Bethany knew exactly what came after that, so she undid the pants Kristi was wearing before sliding a hand between her legs to brush against her through her underwear.

Kristi gasped at the feeling, shaking with desire at that point. She pulled her fangs out, licking at the wound and softly pleading, "Please..."

The brunette had never heard the blonde like this before, and ignoring her own uncertainties, she slipped under the fabric and pushed two fingers inside the vampire, looking up for her reaction. _Unconventional...but I suppose it works..._

Kristi moaned, her eyes shuttering closed. She writhed against the brunette, unable to stop the intense need for release. Bethany pushed her fingers in deeper, moving against the blonde's walls. "Is this...helping?"

"Nnnnn...oh, yessss..." She nodded before leaning down to take her lips in a hungry kiss, her hips rolling forward a little to meet the brunette's thrusts. Bethany continued along, not entirely comfortable with the kiss (of all things), adding another finger soon and hoping that the blonde was close to recovering...or whatever. As the pleasure inside of her built higher, Kristi left the kiss and buried her fangs back into Beth's neck, the taste of blood sending her climax shooting through her. She held herself above the brunette, shaking. Kristi pulled her fangs away again, licking the wound to stop the blood. She looked down at her friend, knowing that if she could blush she would be at the moment. "I...sorry. That happens a lot when a vampire drinks..."

Bethany, who had withdrawn her fingers, looked at the blonde. "You only get one day off, so don't slack off too much. I expect everything to be perfect for opening night."

The vampire nodded. "Do you want me to heal those marks for you? They could raise a lot of unwanted questions."

The brunette waved a hand, implying that what Kristi was saying meant little to her. "Go home, Kristi. And I swear to God, if I don't have you for this musical, there will be trouble."

"Alright, Beth. Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"Go. Home."

"I will. You be careful on your way home. You might find yourself a little dizzy."

Bethany stood, using the wall for support. "If I have to tell you to go home and rest one more time, I swear I will beat you with my shoe, now go woman!"

The blonde couldn't help but give a small smile to her before she quietly went back down to the theater, putting her ring back on. Before she left, she stopped by her changing room to take off her costume and to see how badly she had been burned. After stripping out of her dress, she looked in the mirror. After drinking Bethany's blood, most of it had disappeared completely. A part of her shoulder still looked a little ashy, but the worst was her right arm. Up to her elbow, the skin was blackened and cracked and peeling, dried blood visible from the cracks. Kristi shuddered. _Damnit. This could take long time to heal. I guess I did it have it out there for awhile..._ The blonde pulled on her normal clothes, grimacing as her jacket slipped over the wound, before she finally left the theater to head back to her room.

* * *

Ash had long since arrived back at their room, lying on the couch lazily. Her search had turned up nothing, leaving the brunette tired and a little distressed. When Kristi finally got back to the room, she pulled her jacket sleeve down far enough to cover her hand. She went inside and headed straight for the bedroom. The lycan looked up, when she heard her roommate. "Oh, you decided to return after all."

"I'm going to take a shower," was the blonde's only reply.

"Thank you oh so much for sharing."

"Don't disturb me." She shut the bedroom door behind her.

Ash looked up. "Someone's in a pissy mood. It's okay to be sad about what happened today, you know." The blonde started to slowly take off her coat, unable to stop a soft hiss from escaping when it pulled some of her skin with it. That noise caught the lycan's attention. She stood and approached the bedroom door. "Hey...are you okay in there?"

"Don't come in!"

"I'm just asking a question! What's so bad that you don't want me to see, anyway?"

"Nothing! It's none of your business, Ashelin."

"Oh my god...you're fucking impossible!"

"It's my business! Maybe I don't want you butting in on every part of my fucking life!"

The lycan finally kicked the door in, stalking towards the vampire angrily. "Listen you! I-" She stopped when her eyes fell on the blonde's arm. "What...what happened?"

Kristi instantly pulled her jacket sleeve back up. "Nothing happened. Just leave me be."

"That is not nothing! Goddamnit, just tell me what happened!"

"I don't need your pity, Ashelin."

The lycan chose that moment to slap the blonde across the face. "Fuck you, Kristi! Just...I can't even...GAH!" She stomped towards her bed, her temper threatening to explode.

"You want to know that fucking bad?" Biting her lip to muffle her cry of pain, the blonde quickly tore off her jacket. She held up her freshly bleeding arm to Ash, showing her the extent of her injury. "I met the sun. That's what happened."

The brunette paused before slapping her roommate again, turning away quickly so Kristi wouldn't see the hot tears forming in her eyes. "Why the fuck would you do that? I don't...I never wanted..." The lycan turned back to glare at her. "You're not allowed to hurt yourself, you hear me? If you die, then I...I won't..." She trailed off, looking away.

"Why would I...because I can't take immortality anymore! I've been dead for over a hundred years and I've seen too many people I love die! Be it murder, disease...age..." The blonde collapsed into her chair, bloody tears streaming down her face. "I don't want it anymore..."

"You're not the only one, you know." Ash looked at her with cold eyes. "I've been alive much longer than you. You think I haven't seen similar sights? It's painful to watch...but immortality is our curse. How we use it defines us. You choose to brood over it, and feel sorry for yourself, and that is just pitiful." The lycan stood. "Find something to live for, even if it's one tiny thing...and you'll find immortality is not the dark picture you paint."

"Don't you act all high and mighty over this. Find something to live for? Well what's your 'one thing'? Huh? Because every time I think I've found it, fate finds a way to ruin my life again. Every. Fucking. Time. It's not like I haven't been trying, Ashelin!"

Ash smiled slightly, looking out the window. "From the moment we are born, something inside is missing...and we spend our lives searching for it. I like to think that immortality has given me more time to find it..." She looked at the blonde. "And I'm still searching."

"I think that's a bunch of _merde_. Immortality only gives you more time for heartbreak. That's all it gives."

"And here we see the difference between you and me. You choose to only see the bad. I try to look for the good." Ash sighed. "But it's obvious you are set in your ways, so do what you will, Kristi, and scoff at me all you want, but when you look at me, just remember: I'm not the one trying to kill myself." The lycan started for the door.

Kristi didn't move from where she stood, but her expression softened a bit. "If I die, you won't what?"

Ash paused, glancing over her shoulder. "I...I won't have anyone to fight with...who else can I tell my secret to and actually have them understand...even if it means a little pain now and then."

"I..." The blonde turned away to hide a tear that threatened to fall. "I'm going to take that shower now."

"Be careful of that arm...and if you decide to take some blood for healing later...I'll be on the couch." Kristi nodded silently, going into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

******"Denpa Wave Chick Saki" co-wrote this with me. Enjoy!**

Kristi put on the finishing touches to her make up, heading out of her dressing room to meet with her boyfriend and the other performers.

Ash picked up the white mask, placing it on her face and covering the hideous 'scars', which she had to admit, had turned out quite nicely. The lycan grabbed her cape as she left the dressing room, moving to lean against the wall and watching the others scramble about.

"HAS ANYONE SEEN THE CHANDELIER? I CAN'T FIND IT!"

Ash rolled her eyes, as Bethany came tearing into the room again. The stage manager was close to hyperventilating, having already believed she'd misplaced the orchestra and now the chandelier. "I think Kristi stole it!" the lycan called.

"KRISTI DID YOU STEAL THE CHANDELIER?"

"No, I didn't! Ashelin is just being stupid again!" The blonde joined the search, finding the missing chandelier. "It's over here, Beth!" she called. "But it's not supposed to be over here. I don't know how it got moved..."

"HANG IT UP, HANG IT UP NOW!"

"Bethany, you spaz, sit," Ash said, pushing the brunette into a chair. "You're going to make your heart explode."

"E-everything has to be p-p-perfect!"

"Seriously though, Beth. You're driving yourself crazy. I'll take care of it." Kristi gathered a few of the stagehands, directing them as they put the chandelier back in its place.

Bethany continued to gasp for air, and Ash recognized that she had moved past just yelling and was now entering the first stage of an asthma attack. The lycan moved to stand in front of her, hissing, "Take your medicine."

The stage manager pulled out her inhaler, doing so quickly before anyone could see. She looked at Ash. "Thank you."

The lycan nodded. "Now calm down. Everything will be fine."

Kristi came over to them. "Alright. The chandelier is back where it's supposed to be and the landing pad is there to catch it. You don't have anything to freak out over, Beth. It's going to be fine."

Bethany stood, fixing her headset. "All right...five minutes until curtain. God, I hope nothing catches fire." She left, and Ash looked at the blonde.

"Ready to do this?"

Kristi nodded. "Are you ready?"

"As much as I'll ever be..." Ash threw her cape around her shoulders. "Let's show them how it's done," she said with a grin before moving to take her place in the wings. The blonde took a deep breath, standing just off stage, ready to go on. The curtain pulled back as the house grew dark and the play began. Ash thought she detected a familiar scent, but she ignored it, waiting for her cue. Kristi sang her first song, afterwards moving to the onstage dressing room with Jill following her. Ash opened her mouth to say her lines, but another voice beat her to it, saying, "Bravi, bravi, bravissimi..." The lycan looked around, trying to figure out where that had come from.

Kristi was confused as well. _That was definitely not Ash's voice..._ The blonde kept to her part, though, acting as though nothing was different.

The play continued, and try as she might, the lycan could not find where the mystery voice had come from. The time eventually came for Ash and Kristi to dance together on the opera 'stage' and as they moved, Ash could feel a harsh gaze on her back. The blonde tore off Ash's mask, immediately noticing a man standing up in the rafters near the chandelier. She could tell by his smell and the smirk on his face that he was the werewolf who had killed Ms. Dubois. Kristi couldn't hold back her anger, holding her hand down low and shooting a bolt of electricity up at the man. However, she missed, snapping the rope to the chandelier instead.

Ash heard the rope snap, and instead of looking up, she grabbed the blonde. She yanked her back as the chandelier crashed to the floor, sending glass and metal everywhere, the pad having been moved and the prior system of lowering the chandelier obsolete because of the vampire. Ash gave Kristi a look before pulling her offstage as the house went dark. "What the hell was that for?" Ash hissed at her, as the stagehands moved to change the scene.

"That bastard is here!"

"Who? Damn, Kristi, you could have hurt someone!"

"He deserves to die after what he did!"

"Who are we talking about?"

"The bastard who killed Ms. Dubois!"

Ash paused before saying, "How do you know? Did he tell you that? Where were you even aiming?"

"No other werewolf would have any reason for sitting up in the rafters."

The brunette felt her heart skip a beat. "I-I see..." She turned away, "Let's get ready for our cue."

Kristi crossed her arms but took her spot off stage, ready for Ash to pull her out. The lycan grabbed the blonde's arm, dragging her onstage, but her gaze was down. She waited for Erik to come on stage before throwing the ropes at him and tying him to the grate and wrapping the rope around his neck before turning to Kristi. As she was supposed to, the blonde sang before moving to kiss Ash. The minute their lips met, Ash felt the same harsh gaze on her back, and she shuddered, quickly moving away from the blonde. She released Erik and looked at Kristi, but by now the lycan was so distracted that she stared at Kristi, her mouth opening, but nothing coming out.

From where she was watching, Bethany covered her face with her clipboard. "She forgot her lines!"

Kristi whispered to her, hardly moving her lips. "Leave...Ash, say it."

The brunette quickly turned, shouting, "Take him and leave! Forget me!" as she ran up the stairs and off into the wings, trembling slightly once she was out of sight. Kristi undid the rope from Erik's neck, taking his hand before leading him away. The rest of the play finished before coming to an end. The cast came out to take their bows and when it was Kristi and Ash's turn, the brunette found herself distracted, sneaking glances up into the rafters. _Where are you hiding...?_

The blonde shook Ash's hand. "Ash...bow..."

The lycan responded to the command without thinking, and once the audience stood to leave and the other cast members headed for the lobby, Bethany came running onstage. "Are you guys okay? I knew that rope wasn't enough to hold the chandelier up! And Ash, what happened?"

"I...I just...froze, I guess."

"What happened to the landing pad? It should have caught the chandelier," Kristi asked.

Bethany shook her head. "Someone must have moved it...damnit!" She sighed. "You guys did a good job working around all this. We'll deal with the mess tomorrow, okay?" The brunette gave them a smile before she hopped offstage, disappearing into the lobby.

"I...I'll start clearing this mess...and I'll close the house..." Ash said, turning away from the blonde.

"Alright then." Kristi went down the stairs, heading out into the lobby to meet Paolo.

Ash locked all the doors into the house, going back onstage to turn the lights out. When she did, the godlight came on, causing the brunette to pause. She looked towards center stage, taking a deep breath as she approached slowly. "That was quite the performance, Ashelin. Very moving actually. Did you feel something in common with the misunderstood phantom?"

"Why'd you kill her? She didn't do anything."

"She was annoying, and besides, she saw me fooling with the chandelier, and you know how I feel about people spying on me."

"Neil-"

A sudden whoosh of air, and Ash felt a metal hook sink into her flesh right below her right shoulder. Before she could pull it out, she felt herself being lifted off the ground. The lycan let out a cry of pain, holding onto the rope in an attempt to relieve some of the weight. She looked down, seeing the sandy-haired werewolf stepping into the light.

"It has been some time, hasn't it? I didn't realize you had such a fancy for the fine arts...or for other women...specifically a vampire. Intriguing...don't you think?"

* * *

"Where's Ash?" Bethany asked, when she spotted Kristi in the lobby.

"She said she was going to start cleaning and lock up."

Bethany went to door leading from the lobby to the house, and she found it locked. The brunette paused for a moment before leaving, heading around to the stage door.

* * *

Ash let out a grunt, as she continued to try and free herself. But Neil was not making it easy on her, yanking on the rope every so often.

"So tell me what this vampire means to you."

"She's no one!"

"You kissed her."

"It's acting, you idiot! Now just leave her out of this!"

Neil paused. "The fact that you want me to stay away from her only convinces me that she means something to you, and either you'll tell me, or I'll find out on my own."

"Don't you dare!"

Neil dropped Ash to the floor and approached her, holding her down. "You can't say you didn't miss me, Ashelin." The sound of a door opening reached his ears, and Neil leaned down close, breathing, "We'll finish this later," before he released her roughly and disappeared.

"Ash, are you in here?" Bethany asked, walking onstage. She spotted the lycan sitting up, yanking the hook free. "What the hell-"

"I...tripped and fell on it...no big deal." Ash stood, putting a hand to the wound. "See you tomorrow."

* * *

After seeing Paolo out to his car, Kristi changed out of her costume and headed back to her room. The blonde froze right when she walked through the door, the smell of blood drifting to her nose. "Ashelin, what happened?" She stood over the brunette with a hand on her hip.

The lycan froze at her roommate's voice. She hugged her pillow tighter, sniffling a few times. "N-nothing..." she managed to say. A few more tears slid down her face.

"Don't tell me 'nothing.' Something happened. You reek of blood." Kristi ripped the pillow away from her, pointing at her shoulder.

Ash rolled away from her, grabbing another pillow. "I...fell on the chandelier hook...so go ahead and laugh." The lycan didn't care what Kristi did. Her past had finally caught up with her...Neil wouldn't stay away now.

"Don't lie to me, Ashelin."

"Just go away, okay? What the fuck do you care? I would have thought you'd be disappointed it didn't go through my heart and kill me, because then you'd be rid of me!"

Kristi softened. "I don't want you to die, Ashelin. You may piss me off an awful lot, but I don't want you dead."

"Yeah, sure, you're real sweet. Now please leave me to bleed in peace. You can have your meal later." Ash curled up tighter, stifling another sob so only a whimper escaped.

The blonde crawled on top of her, pinning her down. She bit her own wrist hard, holding the bleeding cut over Ash's wound. When it was healed, she sat up. "Now, stop whining."

"Get off..." Ash pushed her away weakly. She buried her face in the pillow, as more tears started down her face and her shoulders shook. Kristi slid off of the werewolf. She went into their bedroom, returning a few seconds later to drape a blanket over Ash's curled body. The lycan muttered a quick "thank you" before pulling the blanket closer, sighing before she closed her eyes and drifted into a troubled sleep.

Ash didn't leave her bed much the next day, doing so only twice: once to go to the bathroom and the other to bring a bottle of water back with her. It wasn't until the sun began to set that she discovered an important fact. "Kristi?" she called, her voice hoarse from not being used the entire day. "You still here?"

The blonde stepped into the room. "It depends on what you need me for."

Ash rolled over. "Tonight's the full moon. I need you to make sure I stay here."

"And why the hell would I want to spend my night babysitting you?" She crossed her arms.

"Simply put: full moons make werewolves horny. There's a male werewolf running around. If we find each other, that means baby werewolves running around."

The blonde frowned at the thought. "And how do you expect me to keep you here anyway?"

"A lot of raw meat...and possibly occasional blood drainings. If I lose blood, I get hungry, and if I eat raw meat, it distracts me from my sexual frustration. I get full, you take blood again, the process resets."

"Am I getting anything out of this besides not having to deal with your bastard offspring?"

"Like I said: you get to drink my blood all night."

Kristi thought for a moment. "Fine. But I expect you to pay for your own meat."

"Fair enough." Ash pointed to a book on her desk. "Open that up. My money's in there...ten pounds of meat should do it."

The blonde went over to it, opening the book box and taking out her money. She left with a sigh. When Kristi returned soon after, she tossed the meat onto the kitchen counter. "You _so _owe me for this."

"Fine. What do you want?" Ash said, emerging from the bedroom to rip open the first package. She could start to feel the effects of the full moon.

"Right now I want for this to be over...but we'll see when I actually need something from you."

Ash shrugged, biting into the meat. She looked up at the blonde, smiling slightly. "You're pretty...beware, I might try to fuck you tonight."

"Ugh." Kristi stuck her tongue out. "You're just lucky I need your blood anyway to heal my arm."

The sun had fully set now and darkness was settling. Ash shuddered as she felt fur ripple across her body, and she willed it away. Her eyes had turned orange, when she looked up at the blonde. "You might want to start...now," she said, her nose running along Kristi's arm. "Because I'm about to lose it." The blonde turned Ash's head away, biting hard into her neck. The taste of her blood aroused her like always, but she made sure that Ash didn't feel any of that...only pain. Her eyes flashed silver. The lycan let out a growl and pulled away, sulking back over to her meat.

* * *

The full moon...Neil knew Ash was too smart to leave her room tonight. And showing up now would give everything away. The sound of footsteps caught his attention, and the werewolf turned to see a lone figure walking down the path. His eyes narrowed, as he recognized her as one of the actresses from the play. Neil approached silently, emerging from behind a tree and stepping into the light from a lone lamp a few feet ahead of her. Jill looked up from her phone just in time to see the figure in front of her. She looked back down and kept walking past him, the tiniest bit faster. "Going somewhere?" Neil asked, walking backwards and falling in step with her, giving her one of his famous smiles that made all the women melt.

She blushed, shaking her head and walking a little faster. "Yes, I'm going to see my boyfriend."

"Ahh...I see. Your performance today was quite impressive. Tell me, why were you not cast as Christine? You suit the part so well."

"Well, I can't really hit those notes too well. Kristi is much better at it than me."

Neil caught her arm, stopping her. "Is that what they told you? Why, 'tis a lie."

Jill blushed again. "N-no. It's true. I'll never be as good as Kristi."

"Do you want to know Kristi's secret?" he leaned in close to her. "Your friend is a vampire...tell me: would you like to live forever?"

"W-what?" Her eyes widened. "I...um..."

"Don't believe me? Why don't we find out..." With a growl, Neil changed forms, sinking his canines into her neck, severing her vocal cords before pulling her into the darkness.

* * *

About an hour passed in silence before the brunette paused, her gaze on Kristi. Her urges finally overruled her stomach, and she leapt at the vampire, kissing her before Kristi could react. Shocked, the blonde didn't move for a few moments, slightly returning the kiss. When she realized what she was doing, Kristi shook her head, shoving the werewolf away and wiping her mouth with her sleeve. "Eat the meat, Ash!" She threw another one of the raw steaks at the werewolf.

Ash growled, smacking the meat aside. "Not hungry." She tried getting at the blonde again.

"Damn it! I am not going to have sex with you, Ashelin!" She darted in and bit her again, drinking deeply.

And for the two roommates, that was how the rest of the night went. It was only when the sun began to rise that Ash finally fell asleep on the couch, mumbling, "Thank you..." once in her sleep. The blonde plopped herself down into the sofa, sliding down with a soft moan. Vampires could drink a lot of blood, but Kristi had drunk so much over the course of the night that her stomach felt disgusting.

* * *

Bethany punched in Kristi's number, listening to the phone ring. "Pick up, pick up!"

The blonde answered her phone. "Hello? What's up, Beth?"

"Kristi! I need you and Ash to meet me in front of the theater RIGHT NOW!"

Kristi pulled Ash from the couch, successfully waking her up. "Beth, what's wrong?"

Ash groaned, her head pounding. "Leggo...five more minutes..."

"It's...it's Jill...she's dead..." The blonde froze in shock, her phone falling from her hand and clattering onto the floor.

"Dropped your phone..." Ash said, picking it up. "Hello?"

"Ash?"

"Yea..."

"Are you hungover? It doesn't matter! Just get down here."

"Mkay..." Ash held the phone out to Kristi. "Gotta meet Beth..." Kristi moved as if she were in a stupor. She took her phone and walked out the door, not taking in any of her surroundings. The lycan followed sleepily, feeling only a little more awake when they reached the theater.

Bethany looked up upon seeing them. "Finally!" She stood, approaching them. "Hey...Kristi, you okay?" The blonde immediately went to Beth, wrapping her arms around her and burying her face in her shoulder. Bethany was not expecting that, but she held Kristi close, running a hand through her hair. "It's okay..."

Ash knelt beside the mangled body, noting the harsh bite to the throat. It was Neil, all right. He always disabled the vocal cords first. The lycan sighed. "Damnit...he knew I wouldn't go out."

Kristi pulled away from Beth, growling at the werewolf. "He _knew_? It's him again?"

"Unfortunately...damn it, Neil! What do you want...?"

"Whatever he wants, it apparently has to do with you! Why can't you see that? And why are _my_ friends the ones who have to die for it?" Tears started to stream down her face.

"He thinks they're my friends, okay?" Ash stood, facing the blonde. "And I don't know what he wants from me. I haven't seen him in over fifty years!"

"Then find out! I won't let any more of my friends die because of a fight between you and your boyfriend!"

The lycan inhaled sharply. "He is _not_ my boyfriend."

"It doesn't matter who he is. Ash, you have got to do something about him!" Bethany said.

"Don't you think I'm trying?"

"Then try harder!" Kristi glared at her again.

"Do you have any suggestions?"

"Yeah! Talk to him for Christ's sake!"

"We did talk! It ended with me getting a hook in the shoulder!"

Kristi punched her across the face. "Find out, Ashelin. Or I'll kill you myself before I let another friend die."

"All right, children, enough!" Bethany said. She put a hand to her head with a sigh. "I've decided that...the musical just needs to be cancelled. We can't take much more of this. I'm sorry..."

"Aww, don't do that. Everyone will be so disappointed."

Ash froze, turning to face the voice. "Neil!"

The werewolf grinned from his perch in the tree. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends? Well...the living ones."

"You bastard! Why the hell are you killing these people?" The blonde growled at him.

"Now, now. There is no need for name calling...Kristi, was it? Short for Kristianna, I assume..." He turned his gaze to Bethany. "Ashelin, I'm disappointed. Why do you prefer the company of these humans and...glorified zombies to me?"

"Neil, don't you dare..."

"And to answer your question, Miss Kristianna, I am merely a child wanting attention."

"Killing people is not the way to get it!" The blonde took a few steps towards him.

"And what would you suggest I do? Drink their blood whilst having sex?" He looked at Ash. "Perhaps if your friend hadn't left...these people would still be alive."

"At least I don't leave a trail of dead bodies behind me!"

"Miss Kristianna, you are beginning to irk me." Neil suddenly lunged for her.

"Don't!" Ash shouted, jumping in between them instinctively.

Neil caught himself, and he grinned. "So she does mean something to you...interesting." He jumped back. "Catch me if you can, Ashelin..." Neil then changed forms before taking off.

"NEIL!" Ash changed forms as she bolted after him with a growl, vowing that she wouldn't return until she'd caught him.

The blonde growled, kneeling down next to Jill's body. "That bastard..."

Bethany looked at Kristi. "Damn...do you think he'll...kill her?"

"I hope she kills him first."

* * *

The world was a blur as Ash ran, keeping Neil in her sights. That bastard...she'd make him pay. The sandy werewolf suddenly threw himself back towards her, knocking Ash off her feet. She crashed to the ground before getting to her feet, throwing herself at him, only to be tackled again. Ash sank her teeth into his leg, feeling his own canines in her neck. She struggled beneath him, and he headbutted her, slamming her head into the ground. Spots danced in front of her eyes and when he did it again, she was fighting just to remain conscious, slowly changing back into her human form.

Neil changed back as well, holding Ash down. "I made you, Ashelin. You always belonged to me...so don't you ever forget that." Just as Ash felt him violate her, her head was slammed into the ground again and the darkness overtook her.

* * *

Erik stepped out of his car, looking down at his phone, as he texted Kristi, "_Babe, I'm headin to your building now. You there?_"

The vampire replied, "_No. But I will be soon. Wait for me_."

"Erik?" Neil asked, from where he was sitting on top of the blonde's car.

At the sound of his name, he turned around. "Hey! What the hell are you doing on my car?"

"I am merely sitting on it."

"Yeah, but it's _my_ car. Get off!"

"Someone sounds a little selfish," Neil said, but he slid off the car, extending his hand to the blonde. "Perhaps you are familiar with Ashelin Valente? Your girlfriend's roommate?"

"What about her?" He eyed the man's hand. "I'm not friends with her at all, so if you're looking for her, don't ask me."

"Oh, I already found her. She and I...we are of the same species, if you know what I mean." He grinned. "Your girlfriend on the other hand...she is quite the woman to look at...even if I am to be forced to kill her."

The blonde's fist tightened. "Don't you dare touch Kristi."

"Oh? And what will you do? Punch me? Go ahead. I dare you."

"Don't act so cocky, asshole!" Erik swung his fist at the man.

Neil caught his fist, bending his wrist back and snapping it. "I did give you fair warning," he said, forcing Erik to his knees. "If I am forced to use you to flush the vampire out...then so be it."

The blonde shouted out in pain, grimacing. "...you...bastard...you'll pay...for this..."

"It amazes me how you humans are so convinced you'll win when you are clearly losing. I'll tell you something: there is no saving grace for you. You will die at my hands...and then I will kill your girlfriend." Neil kicked him in the stomach, twisting his arm and breaking that as well. He changed forms before he began to maul the blonde, severing his vocal chords. Neil would have killed him, but the sudden scent of death reached him and he paused, changing back. The human would die from blood loss anyway. Neil fled the scene, leaving Erik behind.

* * *

When Kristi got closer to her building, the smell of blood hit her hard. Immediately recognizing it as Erik's, she ran to him. "Nonono! That bastard!" The blonde picked him up, quickly taking him up to her room and setting him on her bed. She gently stroked his blonde hair, bloody tears streaming down her face. "Erik...Erik, darling, look at me." She cupped his cheeks so he could weakly look up at her. "We've talked about it, but I need to know that you're sure about this..." A gurgling sound escaped Erik's throat, but he managed to give her a tiny nod. Kristi used her fangs to gash open her wrist, holding the wound over her boyfriend's mouth.

The blonde sat there on the side of the bed, quickly growing weaker as Erik grew stronger. Her blood had started to take effect. When his fangs started to emerge for the first time, Erik left her wrist, pinning the blonde down and biting her neck to get more of her blood. He tore off her clothes and the remnants of his own, thrusting himself into her.

Kristi gave a small cry, not really in pain, but she wasn't expecting it and was too weak to enjoy herself as her boyfriend built his own pleasure higher. After Erik climaxed, he collapsed next to the blonde. He turned Kristi's head to look at her, his eyes flashing a metallic green. "You're mine. Forever..." Kristi's eyes drooped shut, as she was overtaken by blackness.

* * *

Ash awoke to the feeling of someone sniffing her hair. She looked up weakly to see a blonde werewolf was a culprit, and she let out a cry, her mind telling her it was Neil. The werewolf yelped, changing back into a human. "Damn it, Ash!"

The brunette sat up, recognizing that it wasn't Neil. "Reid?"

"Who did you think I was?" the blonde asked, pouncing on her.

The two rolled around a few times, before Ash pushed him away, laughing. "What are you doing here?" she asked, sitting up.

"I heard Neil was looking for you, and I wanted to make sure you were all right."

Ash sighed. "I'm alive, if that means anything." She looked at her friend, the only one who had stood by her since the beginning. "Reid...have you seen him?"

"Not recently. He...he got you again, didn't he?"

"Yeah..."

Reid took her hand. "I know you want to go after him...but you need to rest first."

"How can I? What if he goes after Kristi?"

"Who?"

"Just...nevermind. I need to find him."

"And we will...but first you need to recover. And we need to figure out how to play his game."

**Reviews are always welcome. Comments, suggestions, anything really, are helpful and nice :)**


	5. Chapter 5

******"Denpa Wave Chick Saki" co-wrote this with me. Enjoy!**

****"Kristianna..." Klaus sat up on the couch. "She is weak..." He could feel it through their connection. The blonde got up, pulling on his jacket and going to the mini fridge in his room. "I must go to her."

* * *

Klaus quickly and silently broke his way into Kristi & Ashelin's apartment. When he stepped inside, shutting the door behind him, he cautiously made his way into the bedroom, sensing another person in the vicinity. Erik emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, and his eyes fell on the stranger near the bed. "Who the hell are you?"

"I could ask the same of you, youngling." The blonde turned to face him, crossing his arms. "You must be the bastard she changed."

"Maybe I am, but I'm also her boyfriend. And who are you, an ex or something?"

"You should speak to me with much more respect." He got close, scowling down at him. "I am Kristianna's maker."

"Fantastic for you," Erik said, pushing past him, as he made his way back over to the bed. "You did a good job, but she's mine now."

"Do you truly expect me to pass her on to your care, when you are the reason she lies like this?" He motioned to Kristi's motionless body on the bed.

"She chose to let me do it so I wouldn't die! She knows what she means to me...she just needs to sleep it off."

"You act like you know so much, but you know so little about our world. Kritianna's body is petite as it is! You drank far too much from her when she changed you!" He gently cupped the side of the blonde's face before glaring up at Erik. "If you care for her as much as you say you do, you should have had the common sense to stop yourself long before she fell unconscious."

Erik shrugged. "If she's just unconscious, why are you so worried? She'll wake up eventually. It's not like she can die."

"You are wrong, yet again. If a vampire goes too long without nourishment they will die. When we are we weak, we need more to recover. If she is asleep, she cannot get the blood she needs to survive!"

"Then give her some blood, if you're so worried about it."

"YOU-" he clenched his fists. "You are damn lucky I knew to bring some." Klaus moved Kristi so she was leaning up against the headboard of the bed. He unzipped his backpack and pulled out a bag of blood, tearing off the corner. He sat on the edge of the bed next to the blonde and put the bag up to her mouth, letting the blood inside flow into her. "And this is why I am not leaving her in your care until she is completely well again. Your moronic and selfish thoughts will be the end of her."

Erik clenched his fists as well, feeling his anger rise. "We're perfectly fine without your help!"

"Yes. It is so clear in the way you nearly let her-" He stopped when Kristi gave a soft moan, starting to stir.

Erik turned towards the blonde as well, crossing his arms impatiently. "See? She's fine, and she'll tell you exactly what I said."

Kristi's hand came up to grab the bag, drinking more deeply. She pulled it away when it was empty, looking up at the other blonde next to her. "Klaus..." she said huskily, "...more..." Kristi looked hopefully at his backpack.

"I am sorry, _min engel stemme_. I have only one more." He pulled it out and ripped off the corner, handing it to her. The blonde drank it all hungrily, giving him a dejected look when it was all gone. "I brought what I could. It was all I had, set aside only for if I could not find a live meal."

Kristi nodded, sitting back against the headboard with a sigh and pulling up the blanket to cover her naked body. She looked over at her boyfriend, giving him a weak smile. "You're alive..."

Erik came to sit by her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah. All thanks to you, babe." He gave Klaus a pointed look.

"I'm glad..." The blonde curled up against his side, tiredly closing her eyes.

Klaus quickly grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Do not go back to sleep, Kristianna. You need a meal. Not rest." Kristi gave another soft moan, and he looked over at Erik. "We need to go with her to get a fresh meal. She is too weak to hunt for herself and stop before killing anybody."

Erik nodded. "Fine," he said, standing and bumping Klaus aside as he helped the unstable Kristi. "You feeling all right? Just hold onto me."

Klaus growled at him, but the other blonde clung to Erik, as she tried to steady her legs. "I...nnnnn...just a little tired..."

"Then let me help, _min engel stemme_." He scooped Kristi up into his arms, before carrying her into the closet to dress her. Erik glared at his back, but he moved to grab his own clothes, dropping the towel and dressing. After the blonde was dressed, Klaus helped her back out into the bedroom. "Now, let's go find you a meal, Kristianna."

* * *

From his perch in the tree, Neil's eyes narrowed as one, two...three vampires left the room. So she had chosen to save him...interesting. Apparently the werewolf had found a sensitive spot for her...and Ashelin still hadn't returned. He wondered what her reaction would be to all this. "Perhaps...I should level the playing field a bit..."

* * *

After leaving the apartment, Klaus headed for the forested area next to the apartments. "On my way here, I saw some hikers heading in there. We can go find them." Kristi nodded, gently pulling away from him.

* * *

The hikers in question were currently lying in pieces on the forest floor, a sand-colored werewolf lying nearby, licking his bloodied claws lazily. Neil got to his feet with sigh before he leapt into the trees, knowing the scent of the blood would hide his own, if only for a little while.

* * *

Kristi walked on her after a little while, slowly perhaps, but she _was _walking on her own again. She shrugged away when Klaus tried to put his arm around her again, but she wouldn't accept Erik's help either. Erik ignored the blonde not wanting help, as he put and arm around her. "This way."

The blonde tried to pull away, but she found she was still too weak. Klaus took her hand, pulling her away from the brunette. "No. It's this way."

Erik let out a low growl. "It's this way," he said, a little firmer.

"You would question my skills? I have been tracking for over a thousand years. You are but a day old."

"Don't act like you're so smart! I know it's this way!"

Klaus growled, getting up close to him. "You know the incorrect way. The hikers went _this_ way!" The blonde grabbed Erik by the throat and threw him in the direction he knew the hikers to have gone, jumping after him. Kristi sighed, dragging her feet to tiredly follow after the other two vampires.

* * *

From where he watched, Neil grinned slightly at the two fighting. His gaze fell on Kristi, and he braced his hind legs on the branch. With those two fighting, she was an easy target. _All right, Ashelin...your move._ Neil launched himself at the blonde, his claws harshly ripping through the dead flesh on her back and bringing her to the ground. Kristi's mouth opened in a silent scream, as she lie underneath him, too weak to fight back. Neil ripped his claws free, taking more skin with him and slicing her hip as he did so. He changed back only long enough to breathe, "How do you think Ashelin feels about you now?" before resuming his werewolf form.

Through their connection, Klaus felt the blonde's pain. He stopped the punch he was about to throw at Erik and whipped around, running back to where they had left Kristi. He came upon the scene, horror building inside of him when his eyes fell on Kristi's mangled body lying in a pool of her own blood. Neil turned and fled, leaving the scene of his crime behind just as Erik came upon the two vampires. "Look here, you-" He paused upon seeing Kristi. "What the hell happened?"

"It was a werewolf!" Klaus rushed to the blonde's side, holding her in his arms. "Kristianna? Kristianna, look at me!"

Kristi's eyes refused to stay open, no matter how hard she tried. She weakly looked up at Klaus, breathing, "_Mon cher papa_..._mon ange_..." before her head fell back, unable to hold off the blackness any longer.

"Werewolf?" Erik growled, remembering his own near-death experience. "I'll kill that bastard!"

"Do not go after him!"

"Why not? He attacked me, and now Kristi!"

"You need to find the other werewolf! Kristianna's roommate is her only chance now. Find her, and get your revenge another day!" He lifted Kristi into his arms. "I will take her back to the room. Go!" Erik didn't like being told what to do, but he didn't want Kristi to die, so he set off in search of Ashelin.

* * *

The lycan in question was currently eating food brought to her by Reid. "Feeling better?" he asked.

"I suppose...Thanks." She stood. "I should head out again." Ash made her way back to the campus, angry at not being able to find Neil. The smell of dried blood worried her, though, and it grew stronger as she entered their room. "Alright, Kristi. Who did you, ki-" She stopped upon seeing Klaus.

Klaus was sitting by the bed, holding the blonde's hand. He looked up at her. "You're finally here. It took him long enough to find you."

"You sent someone after me?" Ash asked, her eyes flashing towards the bed. "What's going on?"

He pulled her over. "She needs your blood. _Now_."

"Let go!" Ash tried to yank her arm away. "I don't know who you are or what the hell you're talking about, but I am _not_ in the mood to be a meal!"

"I am Kristianna's maker, and it was one of _your_ kind who did this to her!"

"My kind..." She looked down at her roommate. "Neil found her...?" She glared at Klaus. "And why should I care? Kristi has been nothing but a bitch to me!"

"I will not let her die because you are unwilling!" He bit into the brunette's wrist and held the bleeding wound over Kristi's mouth.

Ash let out a cry of pain and continued to struggle against him. "Give me one good reason why I should help her!"

"Because she is your roommate, and I am willing to bet that she has done at least one favor for you and gotten nothing in return. You would let her die without even trying to help? You truly hate her so much?"

Ash paused, looking down at the blonde, as she remembered what she had done for her the last full moon. "I...fine. I'll do it." She pulled away gently, moving her wound closer to Kristi's mouth. Klaus watched her closely, hovering just behind her. "Do you mind?" Ash asked, looking back at him. "You're very unsettling. Planning on killing me as soon as she heals?"

"I am just ensuring that you do not stop."

"I won't. I don't...want her to die." Ash looked back at the blonde, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Just...wake up...please..." Klaus nodded. Deciding to trust her, he silently left the apartment. Once he left, Ash felt only slightly better. She moved to sit beside the blonde, still keeping her wrist close to her mouth. Kristi moaned, finally starting to stir. She licked her lips, catching the drops that had missed. In search of more, her tongue licked up the wound on Ash's wrist. At the feeling, Ash looked down. "Hey...finally awake I see. Feeling all right?"

The blonde looked up at her, croaking, "More..."

"Uh..." Ash raised her wrist, using her canines to make the wound bigger. "Is this...all right?" she asked, lowering it back down. Kristi didn't reply, instead she lapped hungrily at the cut, holding Ash's wrist closer. "Kristi...I'm sorry Neil attacked you...you never should have been brought into this."

The blonde ignored her, moaning at the taste of blood. In a flash, she pulled Ash down, pinning her to the bed underneath her. "More..." Kristi's nose ran along the werewolf's neck, before she buried her fangs into her, drinking deeply.

Ash let out a cry of surprise, partly because she didn't expect the bite and partly because it didn't entirely hurt like all the times before. "Just...whatever you need to feel better." Kristi continued drinking, starting to writhe on top of the brunette as the blood started to take effect. Ash began to blush. "Uhhh...I take it this is helping?" She placed her hands on Kristi's hips, trying to keep her still. The blonde pulled away with a hiss of pain, wiggling out of her grasp. "I-I'm sorry...I didn't..." Ash quickly lowered her hands. "Ummm...so...how much...do you need?"

Kristi wasn't paying attention, immediately biting into her neck again. She straddled Ash's stomach, starting to rub herself against her and exciting herself further despite their clothing still being on. Ash's face darkened further. "Wh-what are you doing?" she asked, trying to move back to sit up and ignore how her body was responding to the blonde. Kristi moaned, pushing her back down. Her hands moved down to massage the brunette's breasts, as she started to writhe on top of her again. Ash inhaled sharply. "K-Kristi...don't..." She half-heartedly tried to push the blonde away, but her sex drive was starting to kick in. Before she could stop, her own hands wandered under Kristi's shirt. "We...we can't..."

The vampire pulled her fangs away, instead licking up her neck. She pushed herself harder against Ash's hands, with a gasp at the feeling. Kristi's hands slipped under the brunette's shirt, cupping her breasts and rolling her nipples with her fingers. Ash shuddered beneath her. "Kristi..." Still, she began to massage the blonde's breasts, overwhelmed by the building pleasure. She pulled Kristi's shirt off with a growl before resuming. The blonde moved to suck on Ash's ear, her tongue sneaking out to tease her. She moaned loudly. The lycan echoed her moan, before she grabbed Kristi by the back of the neck and kissed her deeply. Kristi's tongue slipped into the brunette's mouth, sliding along hers, as one of her hands moved down to slip past Ash's pants and underwear and press against her wet center.

Ash jumped slightly at the feeling, her own tongue meeting Kristi's. She reached down to undo the blonde's pants and pushed them down, sliding her own hand between the vampire's legs. Kristi pushed two of her fingers inside Ash's center, writhing against her. The lycan let out a long moan, closing her eyes. It wasn't like this with Neil. This time, it actually felt...she supposed, like it was supposed to. Ash pushed her own to fingers into the blonde.

Kristi gasped at the feeling, beginning to thrust into the werewolf, as she started moving against Ash's fingers. Ash let out another moan, moving her own fingers inside the blonde. She broke the kiss to take Kristi's breast in her mouth, teasing the nipple. The vampire gave a soft cry, clutching Ash's head closer to her breast. She thrust harder into her, slipping in a third finger. Ash let out another long moan, shuddering against the blonde. She matched Kristi's third finger, thrusting deep into her as her head moved to rest on the vampire's shoulder, beads of sweat forming over her body.

The vampire's climax slammed into her, and she hid her scream of pleasure by biting into Ash's neck again, giving her another hard thrust. Ash let out a cry, both at the bite and at the unfamiliar feeling of her climax. She withdrew her hand before falling back into the bed, pulling Kristi down with her, panting. The blonde didn't try to free herself, immediately falling into blackness again. The lycan soon followed, exhausted.

* * *

When Ash woke up the next morning, her eyes immediately fell on the blonde lying on top of her...the half-naked blonde. Her face colored, and before she could sit up, her eyes fell on the bloodstained sheets and everything came rushing back. "Kristi, are you awake?" She poked the vampire. "Kristi...Kristiiiii..." After a pause, Ash mumbled something before reopening the wound on her wrist, holding it near the blonde's face. "Kristiiii...wake up..."

The vampire's nose wrinkled with a soft groan, and she cracked her eyes open, leaning forward to lick up the blood. Ash pulled her arm away. "Good you're awake. Mind telling me what happened last night?" Kristi moaned, rolling over so she wasn't facing her and mumbling under her breath. "No. You're not allowed to be like this, Miss I-Have-No-Interest-In-Fucking-The-Likes-Of-You." The blonde held up her hand, flipping her off. "You're being very childish!" Ash rolled her back over, moving over her so she couldn't roll away again. "Look at me and tell me we didn't have sex, because I'm sure that we did! Why, Kristi?"

"Why?" Kristi gaped at her. "Because your boyfriend attacked me for no fucking reason,n and I was too weak to stop the feelings that naturally happen when we drink someone's blood!"

"He attacked you because you mean something to me!" Ash paused, as the full realization hit her. She got off the blonde and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen...and I understand why we had sex...it was a necessity." Ash closed her eyes, remembering how it had felt...how she'd never enjoyed it until she'd been with the blonde...It was almost an oddity...

Kristi sat up, grimacing slightly, as the movement pulled on her wounds. "I'm sorry I didn't stop it, Ashelin..."

"Don't...just don't..." The lycan was surprised to find a tear rolling down her face, and she swiped at it quickly. "I...I'm going to change and then go back out to find Neil." She stood, moving to her dresser.

"Why are you going after him?"

"Because he hurt you. He wants me...I might as well just give him what he wants, if it'll keep more innocent people safe."

"But you can't-" She stumbled from the bed before she could think, and hissed in pain, hugging her sides. "Y-you can't go out there alone...I'm going with you."

"No!" Ash turned quickly. "You're in no shape to go anywhere!" She quickly ran to her side, helping her back onto the bed. "Kristi, this doesn't involve you. Please...I can't have you getting hurt again."

"That asshole got me when I was weak...I want a chance at him, Ash." She sat up again.

"Kristi, please...don't. I-I'll wait if that makes you feel better...but I refuse to let you leave in this state."

"Then I suggest you wait...because I _am_ going with you whether it be now or when I'm better." She looked up at her.

"Fine...I'll wait." Ash turned away from her again, tossing her ripped clothes to the floor. "So...how long is it going to take for your...injury to heal?" she asked, as she rummaged through her clothing drawers.

"I...I don't know..." The blonde curled up on the bed, closing her eyes.

Ash paused, glancing back at her. She sighed before approaching, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Kristi, I...you know I don't hate you...right? I mean seeing you like this...I just..."

Kristi shot a look up at her. "You what? You pity me?" She curled up further, burying her head in her arms. "I don't need your pity," she spat.

"I felt awful, okay? As terrible as it may sound, as pathetic as it may seem, you're the closest thing I have to a friend! I just want you to get better!"

The blonde snorted. "Somehow I find it hard to believe that someone like you could actually care for someone like me."

"Why? Because I'm a werewolf? Fine! I admit it! We're not supposed to like each other at all, but I...I just..." She sighed. "There's just...something about you, and it feels...different." Her face darkened, and she stood up. "Nevermind...just forget it. Do you need more blood?"

"I don't need anything from you." Kristi got off the bed, shoving her way past her and heading into the bathroom.

Ash watched her before she sat back down, swiping angrily at her tears again and telling herself that she didn't care...she didn't care what Kristi thought or said... "Your back says otherwise...and so did your maker."

The blonde growled, reaching into the shower to start the water. "Klaus doesn't know shit about what I need! He's known me my entire vampire life, and he still wonders why I turned him down." Kristi stripped off her pants and turned to look at her back in the mirror, unable to stop a bloody tear from running down her cheek at the sight. She turned back to the shower, standing and staring at the water pouring down with wide eyes.

Ash watched the blonde, before she approached, laying a hand on Kristi's shoulder. "Hey...I know you hate to feel weak, and I can't say I blame you...but sometimes you have to admit that you can't be on your own." The lycan winced internally upon seeing the harsh spray, and her gaze wandered to the vampire's back. "Need some help?" she said with a crooked grin, half-joking. "You look terrified."

Kristi shot a glare back at her. "I don't need your help." She stepped into the opposite side of the shower from the spray. The blonde took a breath before stepping under the spray, turning her back to it. She bit her lip harshly, as the pain hit her, holding the bar in the shower until the metal crushed under her tight grip. Kristi finally hit her limit, crying out and scrambling away. She slipped on the wet porcelain and fell, curling into a sobbing ball on the other side of the shower, as the water ran red with her blood.

"Kristi!" Ash stepped in after her, kneeling beside the blonde. "Why do you do this to yourself? Please...please just let me help you! I don't want to see you like this anymore!" The blonde silently nodded her head. Ash helped Kristi to her feet, holding her close and using her body to protect her from the spray. "Look...I'm going to take the rag and clean it for you, okay?" Kristi nodded again, bracing herself for the pain.

The lycan picked up the damp rag, pulling Kristi against her and holding her close with one arm as she reached around with the other, gently running it over her wounds. "Just hold onto me..." The blonde gripped tightly onto her, hissing when Ash went over the more painful areas. "It's okay..." The lycan finished and replaced the rag before reaching back and turning off the water. "There...all done." Kristi didn't move, shaking in pain, as she still clutched to the brunette. "Kristi?" Despite her better judgment, Ash picked the vampire up, stepping out and grabbing a towel, which she wrapped around the blonde before carrying her back to her bed and setting her down gently.

Kristi gave her a weak smile, as her shaking grew less violent, curling into a ball on the bed. "Th-thank you..."

Ash nodded. "Do you need anything? Blood...a blanket...clothing..." A pause. "Do you want me to call Erik? Or get that guy back...your maker?"

The blonde sighed. "I'm too tired to deal with either of them right now."

"I'll take that as a no..." Ash scratched the back of her head. "So...do you want me to stay? Are you going to be all right?"

"Can I..." The blonde looked tiredly up at her. "I need...more."

A pause before Ash understood. "S-sure...just...take what you need." The lycan sat beside the blonde. "But can I ask...will what happened earlier happen again?"

Kristi looked down. "I don't know if I'm strong enough to stop it yet."

Ash nodded. "Well, if that's what it takes for you to get better...then I'll accept it."

"Thank you..."

The brunette sighed and held her arm out to the blonde. "Alright. Before you pass out or something..." Kristi ran her nose along Ash's wrist, giving a soft moan, as she breathed in her scent. Ash looked away, trying to distract herself with anything else in the room, reminding herself over and over to remain detached. The blonde bit into her, lapping at the blood. A slight wince of pain came from the brunette, and her gaze remained locked on the threading of the bedspread.

Kristi pulled Ash closer, moving her bite to the brunette's neck. She moaned, as the blood poured into her mouth. Ash inhaled softly at being pulled closer to the blonde. She tried to block her scent out, but it soon got to her, and she found herself running a hand through Kristi's hair. The blonde shivered at the touch, drinking deeply. Ash pulled her closer, taking in the scent of her hair. Her other hand moved to run down Kristi's arm, her fingers trailing across the palm. The blonde licked the wound, starting to move against Ash's body.

The lycan shivered at the movements, her hand moving to the back of the blonde's neck. And all the while, she told herself to remain detached. This was only to help Kristi get better. Kristi moaned, her breasts rubbing against the brunette's. Ash's body shrank away at the feeling, and she shivered again, giving Kristi's neck a quick lick and kiss before saying, "H-have you had enough?"

The blonde reluctantly pulled away. "I...yeah...sorry..." Ash was about to pull away, but she made the mistake of looking at the blonde's face, causing her sex drive to kick in again. Cursing her animalistic traits, she pulled Kristi in, kissing her. The vampire moaned into the kiss, her arms holding Ash tightly, as she deepened it. Ash ran her hands through Kristi's hair, her tongue running across the vampire's lips and wondering why in the world Kristi was allowing this to happen. Not that she was complaining, of course. Kristi's tongue ran along Ash's, as her hands moved to massage her breasts.

Through her moans, Ash managed to get out, "Kristi...nnn...you sure?"

Kristi froze, finally seeing past her bloodlust. She quickly pulled away. "I...I'm done." The blonde sat up, turning away.

Ash was taken aback by her sudden action. "Um, I...I'm sorry. I suppose my...lycanthrope tendencies...took over..."

"It's fine. I just...don't need any more right now."

"Okay...if you're sure." Ash stood, scratching the back of her head, as she moved to find clothing. "I feel bad that Bethany had to cancel the musical because of this whole thing between Neil and me."

"Well, can you blame her, really? We lost our director and a supporting role and nearly lost a lead."

The lycan winced. "Don't remind me..." She grabbed an outfit and threw it on, looking away from the blonde. "I, uh...I'm heading out to try and find another job."

Kristi fell back to the bed with a "huff," curling into a ball. "Whatever. Do what you want."

"I'll be back later so you can..." Ash didn't finish, but chose to leave the room instead, casting one last glance at Kristi before she did so.

The blonde sighed, before she sat up to reach for her phone. She texted Klaus and Erik, "_I'm fine. Just tired. See you later_."

* * *

Ash wandered the streets, spending only a little less than half of her time looking for a job. Her mind was too preoccupied with everything to think straight, so eventually, she pulled out her phone and began her text.

* * *

The door to the room shook before being flung open. "OH MY GOD, KRISTI! ARE YOU OKAY?"

The vampire looked up tiredly from where she lay curled up underneath her blankets on the bed. "I'm fine, Beth. Don't worry about it."

The brunette ran to the bedside. "ASH TEXTED ME SAYING YOU GOT HURT AND I THOUGHT 'FUCK, NOT KRISTI TOO!' SO I CAME DOWN HERE AND- THIS YELLING ISN'T HELPING, IS IT?"

"Not really..." Kristi shook her head. "It's fine, Beth. Just calm down."

Bethany took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I was just worried...you're my friend, and I already saved you from injury once...so I have been told not to leave until Ash returns."

Just as the blonde closed her eyes with a sigh, Erik burst into the room, rushing to her side. "Oh, God, Kristi...are you alright?" He pulled her into his arms, looking over her carefully to see how much she had healed.

Kristi gently tried to push away with a wince, when he moved her so suddenly. "I'm fine, Erik. I had some blood, and I'll be all right for now."

Bethany glared at him, not appreciating being pushed aside. "Why'd you move her? You probably made it worse!" She gave him a shove back. "Now, go! Shoo!"

Erik hissed at her, holding his girlfriend closer to him. "She's _my_ girlfriend. I can touch her all I want!"

"Oh you did _not_ just hiss at me!" She hit his arm. "Go away! I've already been told to stay and watch over her!"

"Well, I'm her boyfriend, and I have every right to be here!" Kristi moaned in his arms.

"Exactly, and being a _boy_friend, your thoughts will immediately turn...dirty, as you men always do..." Bethany's nose wrinkled as well. "And take a shower! Damn, you smell like something that just died!"

Erik growled at her. "Maybe it's because I just _did_!"

Bethany opened her mouth to reply, then stopped. "You...oh, god, not you too! Damn, am I the only human left?"

"It's not like we had planned on it yet! That asshole tried to kill me, and if Kristi hadn't found me in time, I would have."

"Maybe that would have been for the best..." Bethany muttered, crossing her arms and looking away.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

The brunette looked back at him. "It means you're a douche, Erik! You think you're God's gift to women, and now we have to deal with it LITERALLY FOREVER!"

"I don't give a fuck what you think of me! Obviously Kristi doesn't think the same." He bared his fangs at her.

"You're not scary, Erik. What are you going to do, bite me? I dare you."

"You would deserve it, bitch!"

"Oh, fuck off. You don't have the balls to do it."

"Watch me!" He lunged at her.

Bethany didn't flinch, even when he grabbed her. "Feel better?"

"Kristi, I'm back. You feeling any better?" Ash asked tiredly, as she entered the room. The blonde weakly tugged on Erik's shirt, urging him away from Beth. The new vampire reluctantly dropped her, returning to take Kristi into his arms again and not noticing her wince yet again. Bethany got to her feet, as Ash approached. "What's going on?" the lycan asked.

"Seriously, you need to start paying me to deal with all this...supernatural shit!"

"Wha-" Ash looked at Erik. "Another one? Damn, I am _so_ outnumbered!"

"Well, if that asshole werewolf hadn't attacked me, none of this would have happened!"

"Will no one let me live this down? I'm sorry Neil- actually, I'm not sorry he attacked you...that was a good move on his part."

Erik growled at her, but Kristi pulled on his shirt. "Stop it. Both of you..."

"Kristi, there are _four_ of your kind, and they are _all_ against me! So you," she pointed at Erik, "get out so I can settle my debt with my roommate and stop feeling so goddamn guilty!"

"I am not leaving her again."

"Well, you're sure as hell not staying in the same room as me!"

"Erik, please..." The blonde looked up at him with pleading eyes.

Her boyfriend growled for a few seconds. "Fine...but only for you." Erik kissed her, before he reluctantly left the room, glaring at the other two girls the entire way. Kristi fell back to the bed with a sigh, her wounds finally getting some relief from his grasp.

Ash moved to the blonde's bed. "Thanks Beth..."

The brunette nodded before she started for the door. "Keep me updated, yeah?"

"Yeah..." With Bethany gone, Ash turned her attention to her roommate. "You doing all right?"

Kristi moaned, pulling the blankets tighter around herself. "I didn't want him to come...I'm too tired..."

"I'm sorry. I can make sure he stays out, if you want...and are you going to need more blood? You've been resting for a while...I thought that wasn't good for vampires..."

"It's not that it isn't good. It's just...unnerving..."

"Well...what would you rather do? You can't go out...you need to heal..."

"I know that..."

Ash dropped a paper bag on the bed beside her. "Here. I picked this up for you. I know you like them."

The blonde sniffed the bag before pushing it away. "No thanks."

Ash picked the bag up before tossing it on the blonde's desk. "Fine. Excuse me for trying to be decent." She made her way into the other room to collapse on the couch. "If you want your next meal, you'll have to come to me."

Kristi moaned softly at the thought but stayed where she was. Ash readjusted the pillow and rolled onto her side, her hand searching the table for the remote. The blonde rolled over, groaning as her wounds shot pain through her back. "Ash...please..."

As much as the lycan tried to ignore her, she couldn't. With a sigh, she stood, heading into the bedroom. "What is it?"

"I need blood..." the blonde whimpered. Another sigh before Ash was sitting beside the blonde, very gently lifting her so her mouth was right at the lycan's neck. Kristi ran her nose up and down along the artery, before she buried her fangs into Ash's neck. She let out a moan, as the blood started to flow into her mouth. The werewolf let out a slight wince, but she held Kristi close, falling back onto the bed with her and deciding she was just too tired to care if this led to sex. Whatever it took, right?

* * *

**Language Key update:**

**Klaus speaks Danish.**

**So to refresh your memories...**

**Kristi = French**

**Paolo = Italian**

**Klaus = Danish**

**Hope you all are enjoying! ^^**


	6. Chapter 6

******"Denpa Wave Chick Saki" co-wrote this with me. Enjoy!**

Her alarm screeching shrilly at her woke the lycan, and she rolled out of bed, letting out a groan when she hit the floor. Ash managed to drag herself into the shower, scrubbing the blood from her body, before she stumbled back into the bedroom, groping for her clothes, still half-asleep.

Kristi sat up in the bed, looking over at her. "You look exhausted, Ash."

A stream of slurred words escaped her, as she managed to get her clothes on...somewhat. Ash was left struggling with her shirt, one arm flailing weakly as she tried to put it on, neglecting to put her head in the required hole. The blonde got up, going over to her. She took the shirt from Ash and slipped it over her head the proper way. The lycan swayed slightly. "Shirt's broken..." she muttered before she grabbed the strap of her bag, dragging it behind her, as she began to leave only half-dressed.

"Ash! Get back here! You don't have any pants on!" Kristi grabbed her, pulling her back into the room and pushing her down into a chair. She went into the brunette's closet to grab a pair of her jeans, then she slid them up Ash's legs for her.

"I can...do it..." Ash stood again, focusing slightly on Kristi. "I go...you stay...good vampire..." She gave a nod of her head before leaving.

"Ash, I'm not sure you should go to class like this. You're far too tired to do anything."

"Gotta go...can't miss...you can have meal...later..."

"I don't want a meal right now. Ashelin, you really shouldn't be going to class like this. You can miss one more day, can't you?"

"Already missed...three...gotta go...test today..."

Kristi sighed. "Fine. Go take your test, Ashelin."

"I will...no trying to...stop me..." Ash stumbled out the door, falling down the stairs before getting to her feet. "I'm okay...to class..." The blonde shook her head before going into her closet. She pulled on some sweatpants and a loose shirt and sat on the couch.

* * *

When Ash arrived to class, she collapsed into her seat, ignorant to the fact that her absence had caused rumors to begin spreading. The most prominent rumor was that Ash and her roommate were doing "it," and that was the reason she had been gone and why she was so tired when she did show up. The lycan was too exhausted to notice, and even if she had, she was sure she wouldn't have cared.

Erik, of course, had heard those exact rumors. So when he walked into class, he sat right next to Ash, glaring at her. "The rumors better not be true."

The brunette groaned at the voice. "Whoever you are, you sound annoying...and you smell like death. Go away..."

Erik growled, pulling her up to face him. "You better look at me, bitch. And you better stay away from my girlfriend!"

Ash closed her eyes. "Oh, it's you...and I live with her...what are we even talking about?"

"The rumors going around that the two of you are fucking each other! I've given you both space because she needs you to heal, but I swear if you two are actually doing it, I'll kick your ass!"

"Little boy, you shouldn't let your mouth make promises you can't keep..."

"And who says I can't keep it? I'm a vamp now, bitch! I'm finally strong enough to take you on."

Ash sighed. "You've only just been turned. I've been a lycan for almost 250 years...and trust me, if I changed...you wouldn't stand a chance."

"You're just scared, because you know I'll kick your ass."

"I am far too tired to deal with you. But if you insist on proving yourself then we can fight after class...and no crying when you lose."

"In your dreams, bitch." The vampire turned to face the front of the classroom, crossing his arms.

"You're never in my dreams..." Ash said, as she settled back down on the desk, only half managing to complete her test. Her brain barely registered when the class came to an end.

"Outside. NOW. It's time to bring you some pain." Erik stood up, cracking his knuckles.

The lycan sighed, getting to her feet and swaying a bit, only slightly more awake. She made her way out to an empty area, turning to Erik. "Okay...ladies first..." she said, beckoning for him to hurry it up.

"Don't mock me, bitch!" He lunged at her, his fangs bared. Ash barely flinched, only moving to the side to avoid him before changing forms and promptly sitting on the vamp, effectively pinning him down. The lycan yawned. Erik struggled underneath her, trying to get out. "Get off of me!"

Ash waited a few moments before standing up and changing back. "Point proven, now leave me alone." The lycan started back for her room.

"Bitch! Get back here and fight me for real!"

"Go home, Erik. Don't embarrass yourself further."

The blonde threw himself at Ash again, latching onto her back. "I won't let you get away with fucking my girlfriend." Ash growled before changing forms again. She grabbed his arm in her teeth and yanked him off, slamming him into the ground and standing over him, growling.

Erik clutched his arm in pain, growling back at her. He was about to force her off of him, but Klaus suddenly appeared beside them. "Ashelin, return to Kristianna. I will deal with this one." He gave a very unappreciative look down at the other vampire.

"Hey! You can't just make me do whatever you want, asshole! You don't control me!"

Klaus grabbed him by the injured arm and dragged him to his feet, his eyes flashing a metallic blue in anger. "You will do exactly as I say, Erik, or I will blood eagle you."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"Keep doing the shit you're doing and you'll find out. You're not mortal anymore so it wouldn't kill you. It will just make you wish you could die..." Klaus dragged the brunette away, imagining and wishing he could actually follow through with his threat.

* * *

Ash changed back and staggered back to their room, the transformations having sucked what energy she'd had left. She opened the door to the room before collapsing through it. "Ashelin?" Kristi looked out from the kitchen. "Are you okay?"

"Stupid...vampire boyfriend...made...me fight..."

"What? You mean Erik?" The blonde went to her side, helping her stand up and moving her to the couch.

"Yeah..." Ash tore the tattered remains of her clothing off, throwing them to the floor. "Sat on him...taught him a lesson...keep him away..."

"Alright then. Well, are you hungry? I made you some food."

"You did? How nice...food nice..."

"I'll go get it for you then." The blonde disappeared into the kitchen.

"Okay...I'll be here..." Ash rolled over, and, thinking she was in bed, her hand began groping for sheets.

When Kristi came back out, she couldn't help but give a soft chuckle. "You're not in your bed, Ash. You won't find any sheets there." She sat on the couch across from the brunette holding the plate of food out to her. "Here you go."

"Stole my sheets..." Ash muttered before sitting up, her nose detecting the scent of food. She took the plate and tried lifting the food to her mouth, but dozed off before it could get there. The scent woke her, and she tried again, meeting the same result. This happened a few times, before Ash eventually said, "Screw it," and put her face in the food. A soft snore came from the brunette.

Kristi gaped at her for a few moments before moving to sit next to her on the couch. She lifted Ash out of her plate, gently wiping the rice casserole from her face. "Here." The blonde picked up the fork holding it in front of Ash's mouth. "Eat."

The lycan began to protest- she could very well feed herself- but the food was so close...she moved her head forward, her mouth open, trying to locate the fork. Finally, she found it. Kristi chuckled softly, scooping up another bite for her and holding it up again.

"I can...do it..." Ash mumbled, even as her head was moving forward to take the next bite.

"Just let me do this, Ash. It's the least I can do after you saved me." The blonde gave a soft smile.

"Didn't...save you...just giving...blood..."

"And by doing so, you are saving me. I would have died if you hadn't been there." The lycan didn't reply, instead moving to take the next offered bite. After doing so, she laid back down, preparing to sleep again. "Ash, you only took two bites. You need more than that."

"No...too tired...eat later..."

"Fine," she sighed. "At least let me move you to your bed?" Ash rolled herself into Kristi's lap. The blonde picked her up as gently as she could, carrying her into their bedroom and setting her on the bed. Kristi pulled the blankets over the werewolf, before she left the room to go clean up the dishes.

Ash pulled the blankets close before drifting off into sleep. It wasn't until later that night that she awoke, her stomach growling at her. The lycan rolled from her bed, making her way out into the kitchen to begin rummaging through the fridge.

Kristi was laying across the couch in the other room. "Some of the casserole is on a plate already. Just stick it in the microwave."

Ash pulled the plate from the fridge, placing it in the microwave and setting the timer before she moved to collapse in the chair across from the blonde. "Let me finish that and then you can have your meal."

"I'm fine." Kristi stayed curled up on the couch.

"You haven't had any blood all day, and you're still not fully healed."

"I can go one day without blood, Ash. It's not that big a deal."

"Kristi, please...you're hurt still, and I...I just want you to be okay..."

"I've been drinking too much from you."

"What would make you say that?"

"Perhaps the fact that you were so tired this morning that you couldn't get your shirt on by yourself and nearly went to class with no pants on."

Ash looked down at her hands. "I...I admit, I've been...a little out of it lately, but...it's a small price to pay to ensure you get better."

Kristi frowned. "I can go one day without your blood, Ash. You need to recover." Ash was about to reply when the sound of a small explosion caught her attention. She stood and approached the microwave, looking in with some dismay to see that she'd accidentally set it for thirty minutes instead of seconds. The blonde groaned. "How bad is it?"

"Ehh...nothing I can't clean," Ash replied, opening the door and pulling the plate out. She tossed it in the sink, before she grabbed a towel and began cleaning the microwave. Kristi got off the couch and went into the kitchen too. She pulled down a pan and grabbed some ingredients from the fridge, and she started making Ash some more food. "Kristi, you don't need to make anything."

"You're hungry, and this will be finished by the time you are done cleaning the microwave."

"But...that's more work for you."

"Just clean the microwave, Ash." The lycan turned and did as she was told, tossing the dirtied paper towel out when she finished. Kristi slid the fresh omelette onto a plate and handed it over to Ash before starting to clean the dishes.

The brunette muttered a "thanks" before scarfing the food. "Kristi...why are we doing this?"

"Because you're giving me the blood I need to heal. Isn't it obvious?"

"No...it's not. You always say how much you can't stand me...so why are you doing this? Why do you care if I'm tired? You're getting what you need, and you never cared before."

"Why do you care? Would you prefer me to go back to hating your guts every second of the day?"

"No...I just want to know." The lycan moved to sit on the counter, looking at the blonde. "I want to know if Kristianna is really the person she wants me to think she is."

"I'm the exact same person I've always been. Nothing has changed." Kristi continued looking down at the dishes as she washed them, refusing to look up at the werewolf.

"Then why didn't you get mad at me for fighting your boyfriend? And why haven't you been seeing him? And you're making me food. I just..." Ash sighed, hopping off the counter. "I'm going to bed...if you want blood, that's where I'll be."

The blonde didn't reply. She finished with the dishes before heading back into the living room and lowering herself onto the couch with a soft groan. _Kristi, you need to stop this...You let your guard down once, but you need to put it back up before you lose it. I can fight this. I can. She is not the one...I just need to resist...until this ordeal is over..._

* * *

In her fitful sleep, Ash turned, knocking one of the blonde's shirts she'd stolen to the floor. Without the scent near, the lycan began to call for her roommate in her sleep.

Kristi heard her name, and she reluctantly pulled herself from the couch and went into the bedroom. "Yes, Ash? What do you need?" Still asleep, Ash wore a pained expression, whimpering before continuing to call the blonde's name. Kristi moved to sit on the edge of the bed next to the werewolf. "Ashelin, what's wrong?" She gently laid a hand on her shoulder.

The lycan moved to wrap her arms around the blonde's waist, her head in Kristi's lap. A small smile crossed her face. "Scent too...irresistible..."

The blonde froze, staring down at Ash. _Did she really just say what I think she did?_

Ash breathed in the familiar scent, holding herself closer to the blonde. "So pretty..." Kristi couldn't stop a small smile from creeping onto her face. She gently stroked through Ash's short hair. At the feeling, Ash smiled as well. "No...only my...vampire..."

The blonde continued stroking her hair, unaware that the sleepy werewolf's antics were starting to break apart the icy barrier she had thrown around her heart. _I wonder what she could be dreaming about..._

"Kristi...I'm sorry..." The lycan clutched her tighter, still unaware that it was indeed the vampire and not her shirt.

Kristi slid further into the bed, leaning against the headboard. She whispered softly, "What are sorry about, Ashelin?"

"Sorry...you got...hurt...sorry...I was...mean...sorry we're so...different..."

The blonde frowned slightly. "It's not your fault, Ash..."

"Sorry..." After muttering this last word, the lycan fell silent, her grip loosening slightly. Kristi closed her eyes, also letting sleep overtake her.

* * *

When Ash woke the next morning, she found the blonde lying beside her. Assuming Kristi had come for blood the night before, the lycan sat up, surprised to find that there wasn't any blood on the sheets. "Odd..." Ash looked back down at the blonde beside her and, still wondering why Kristi was in her bed, she laid back down, taking the vampire into her arms again, her scent too intoxicating to leave.

After a few minutes, the lycan made a small cut on her wrist with her canines, holding it close to the blonde's nose. "Kristi..."

Kristi woke with a soft moan. Her eyes drifted open and, upon falling on Ash in bed next to her, they widened. "W-what are you doing?"

"I'm waking you up...and wondering why you're in my bed. Did you drink last night?"

"No. You...you were..." She stopped herself, remembering what had happened. "You called me in here. I guess you don't remember." The blonde pulled away from her.

Ash frowned at the loss of contact, but sat up. "I..." She only slightly remembered her dream last night. "I'm sorry..."

"It's fine." With a soft groan, Kristi pushed herself onto her feet, all of her joints aching. "Are you hungry?"

"I'm fine..." The lycan raised an eyebrow. "Are you all right? Sure you don't need any blood?"

"It's alright. Just a little...achy."

"Kristi, what happened last night? Why were you in my bed? Did I..." Ash looked down. "Did I do something...to you?"

"Nothing happened. You were having a bad dream or something and were calling my name. So I came in, but then the bed looked comfortable, and I was tired, so I went to sleep. No big deal, Ash. Just forget it happened."

"O-okay...I...I'm going to take a shower." Ash rolled out of bed and headed into the bathroom, turning on the water and stepping in. As it ran down her back, the lycan let her forehead rest against the wall, wondering why she was acting this way around her roommate. In her frustration, she slammed her fist into the wall, creating a small crater.

* * *

Kristi went into the kitchen to start making some food. She knew that Ash really was hungry or would be soon, at least. After putting a pot of water onto the stove to boil, the blonde started preparing the sausage, soon finding it hard to concentrate. She found herself having to squint more and more, as the kitchen light seemed to grow more blindingly bright. Kristi finally got so irritated that she shot a bolt of electricity up at the light, effectively plunging the kitchen into darkness. She turned back to the food, able to see normally again.

The sudden pop from the kitchen caught Ash's attention, and she turned off the water. "Kristi?" She grabbed a towel, wrapping it around herself, before she went out into the kitchen. "Are you okay? What was that noi- oh...guess we need a new light."

"It was too bright and annoying. I'll get a new one." The blonde didn't turn from her cooking.

"That's odd. Usually it doesn't bother you that much..." Ash moved to lean against the counter, looking at the blonde. "So I'm sorry if last night I- WOW. Have your pupils always been that big?" She leaned in closer to the blonde.

"Has anyone ever told you it's impolite to stare?" She pushed the werewolf away. "And I said I would buy a new light, so just drop it already."

"Kristi, your pupils are _huge_! I've never seen them like that before!" Ash swatted the blonde's hand aside, getting close again. "Are you _sure _you're okay? I'm getting a little worried..."

"I'm. Fine. Now get out of my face!"

The lycan backed up, pausing before she said, "Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"I'm not doing anything, Ashelin."

"You're depriving yourself of blood! Why?"

"Because it makes you so Goddamn tired, and that isn't fair!"

"It doesn't matter! I can survive being tired; you need blood to function and heal! So, until you get better, it's not about me! It's about what you need!"

"And why do you even care if I die or not, Ashelin? Oh, wait...it's because it's all your fault that your stupid asshole boyfriend attacked me! That's why you care! Because you feel bad!"

"Of course I feel bad, but that's not why I care! I just...you..." Ash felt her transformation begin, and she forced it away, taking a shuddering breath. "I don't want you dead...and I'm sorry that I gave you that impression...but if I'm not allowed to care-" Ash smacked the pot off the stove, ignoring the burn in her hand. Kristi jumped back with a hiss, when some of the boiling water splashed onto her. "Then neither are you. Stop making me food, and stop watching out for me. Just take your blood and leave me be."

She turned on the brunette. "Well, maybe if you'd stop being so fucking irresistible, I wouldn't care so much!"

"Well I- what? What...the hell is that supposed to mean?" With a growl, the blonde pulled Ash close, kissing her deeply before burying her fangs in her neck. The lycan inhaled sharply at the kiss and gasped when the vampire bit her. She fell against Kristi slightly. "I-I'm so confused."

"God, do you ever shut up?" She bit into her again, drinking deeply and pulling her closer.

"Nnn...sorry..." The lycan, though still confused, shut her mouth, holding the blonde close to her as well, shivering at the second bite. Kristi's hands started to roam over her body, as she moaned at the taste of her blood. Ash pulled the blonde away from the stove to prevent any...accidents, as she found her own hands beginning to wander over the vampire's body.

As the blood started to take effect, Kristi's pupils shrunk back down to their normal size, and she resumed her normal thought process. The blonde quickly tore herself away, eyes widening. "I am so sorry! I didn't mean it. I was just really hungry, and I get a little...irritable when I'm hungry."

Ash stumbled, when Kristi pulled away so suddenly. Her back hit the fridge, and she looked up at the blonde. "I-it's fine...glad to see you're okay..."

"I...are you alright?"

"Fine..." Ash sighed, looking down. "I...I'll clean up the mess I made..." She moved to pick up the pot and place it in the sink, before she grabbed a towel and began wiping up the water.

"No, I can do it. I started it anyway." The blonde reached down to take the towel from her.

"Kristi, I get it. You were irritated and it didn't mean anything, so I should stop trying to fool myself." Ash didn't let her have the towel, as she resumed cleaning.

"Give me the towel, Ash." She grabbed at it again.

"No! I can do it! Just take your intoxicating scent and go!" Kristi tugged on the towel again, but she slipped in the water and fell on her back, somehow yanking the werewolf on top of her. She winced at the pain but couldn't hold back a laugh. Ash looked down at the blonde, her face darkening, as a smile played across her lips. "Are you okay?" Having Kristi this close...Ash found herself drawing closer, trying to stop.

"I'm fine...but my back's starting to hurt like this..."

Ash sat up, pulling the blonde with her. "S-sorry..." She finished cleaning the water and threw the towel back on the counter before standing, offering the blonde her hand.

Kristi took the hand, using it to stand up with a grimace. "Guess landing like that's not going to help my back to much, is it?" she joked.

"No...not particularly..." Ash looked down, her face still slightly red. Before she could stop herself, the lycan moved in to kiss the blonde quickly, retreating back to her room, hopefully before Kristi could realize what had happened.

The blonde stood where she was, frozen in shock for a few moments. She quickly went after Ash. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Ash asked, going through her drawers in search of an outfit.

"You know exactly what. You...kissed me."

"S-so? W-we've kissed before...nothing new...sorry if it appalls you."

"But that wasn't blood-induced."

Ash finally turned to face her. "What do you want me to say? That I'm so desperate for affection I don't care if it's coming from you? That maybe the fact your scent drives me crazy means something? What?"

"I...I don't know...I guess I just...nevermind."

"You just what? You thought I had...some sort of...feelings for you?"

"I'm not sure...can we just forget about this?"

Ash looked down. "No...because I...I don't hate you, and I..." She looked back up at her. "Do you really hate me as a person...or do you hate...the other side of me?"

"I don't really hate you, Ash. I guess...it just seemed easier to hate you than to be your friend."

"Yeah...I thought that too." Ash looked at her. "Kristi, I can't...do this anymore. Pretend to hate you...just because of what you are. Please...could you find it to forgive me...and perhaps we could try..."

"Try to be friends?" she finished for her. Kristi gave a small smile. "I would like that."

Ash looked up, slightly surprised. "R-really? Even after...everything?"

"It may not seem like it, but hating someone that much is very tiring."

"Y-yeah..." The lycan tried to smile. "I...I know what you mean."

"Although, I guess until my back is healed...we're more like friends with benefits." She chuckled.

Ash looked back down. "Y-yeah..." She turned away to resume looking for clothing. After finding a shirt, she dropped her towel, slipping it over her head.

Kristi headed towards the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower, okay?"

"Okay. Be careful...don't fall."

Kristi stripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower. After a lot of grimacing, she managed to get through it on her own. The blonde stepped out of the shower and loosely wrapped a towel around herself. When she turned to look at her back in the mirror, she noticed that the fall in the kitchen had split open some of the gashes again and blood was dripping down her back. "Hey, Ashelin, are you busy?"

The lycan got to her feet and went into the bathroom doorway. "No...something wrong?"

"Can you...wipe it up for me?" She turned her back towards her. "I can't reach it."

"Oh...sure." Ash grabbed a rag and began to gently wipe up the trails of blood that ran down the blonde's back, trying not to pass over the wounds. "Does it hurt?"

"A little. Not as much as it used to, but still..."

Ash nodded, rinsing the rag off once she finished. "All done...you all right?" she asked, gently placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

Kristi opened her eyes, giving her a small smile. "Yeah. Thanks..."

Ash nodded, before she turned away. "Let me know if you need anything else," she said, before she moved back out into the other room to sit on the couch again.

* * *

If there was one thing Neil didn't like, it was when his victims survived. Aware that the boy he'd attacked was still alive, Neil went out to search for him. It did not take long. "I see you are one of them now. Such a shame, really."

"You..." Erik turned at the voice, growling. "You bastard. You have a lot of nerve showing up here again."

"Someone seems bitter. It's not good to hold grudges, you know."

"Well, you should expect it when you tried to kill me and my girlfriend!"

Neil jumped down from the tree he was perched in. "Oh, it was all in good fun...and look, I may have even done you a favor. Besides, don't take it personally. I've killed a lot of people." He gave Erik a grin. "Well, what do you say? Round two?"

"I want nothing more."

Klaus stepped into the clearing crossing his arms. "Except this time the fight will be even."

Neil turned his attention to the new vampire, sensing that he wouldn't go down as easily as the younger one. "Well, if that will make you feel better...just know that after I win, I intend on killing Kristianna for good."

"When I am done with you, you will not dare to step within a hundred miles of Krisitianna." Erik had never been too intimidated by the older vampire, but at that moment he definitely didn't want to be in Neil's place.

"We'll see about that." With another grin, Neil leapt at the two, transforming as he did so. He threw Erik back into a tree before turning to Klaus.

The blonde leapt at Neil, attaching to his back biting deep into his neck. Erik got back to his feet and jumped in again, kicking the werewolf across the face. Neil let out a growl, standing on his hind legs before falling backwards on top of Klaus. He rolled back up and leapt on Erik, grabbing his arm in his jaws and feeling it break.

Erik screamed in pain, and Klaus took the chance to get his arms around Neil's chest. He squeezed them tighter, listening the werewolf's ribcage giving way to his strength. Neil stood on his hind legs again, swiping at Klaus's arms and ripping himself free. He grabbed the blonde's wrist in his teeth before throwing him down on top of Eric. The werewolf leapt back, trying to steady his breathing and ignoring the pain building in his chest. Klaus shook away the pain as well, his wrist quickly healing. He kicked over a nearby tree and then picked up the end, swinging it at Neil and sending him flying into another tree.

The werewolf landed on his feet, shaking his head. He growled at the vampire before jumping onto the tree Klaus was holding. He ran across it, leaping at the vampire and bringing him to the ground. Klaus brought his legs up and slammed them into Neil's stomach, kicking him off. While the werewolf was still rolling across the ground, he picked up the tree again and slammed it down on top of him.

Neil managed to orient himself, ripping through the tree with his claws. His chest was acting up again, and he knew it was better to run and live to fight another day. He leapt on Klaus again, biting deep into his shoulder and yanking skin away before jumping off of him and disappearing into the trees. The blonde cried out in pain, but when Erik tried to go after the running werewolf, he stopped him. "Leave him. He knows now not to mess with us or Kristianna again." Klaus got to his feet with a grimace. "Now let us go find a meal."


	7. Chapter 7

******"Denpa Wave Chick Saki" co-wrote this with me. Enjoy!**

****"Ashelin, wake up." The blonde sat next to her on the bed, nudging her shoulder.

The lycan let out a small whimper. "What?" she moaned, not opening her eyes.

"Come on. It's time to get up."

Ash opened her eyes sleepily, looking at the blonde. "Why?" she asked, sitting up and rubbing one eye with a yawn.

"We're going out."

"Well thanks for telling me you have a date..." Ash went to lay back down.

"Oh, no you don't. It's not a date. It's you and me going out."

"Wh-why are we going out?" Ash moved so that she was lying against the blonde, still half-asleep.

"Because you have done all of this for me. Now it's my turn to do something for you."

Ash looked at the blonde. "Is it food?"

Kristi laughed. "That wasn't part of the original plan, but we can do that too if you want."

"What was the original plan? Please no shopping. Perfume shops always make me want to kill myself."

"Now why would I take you to a perfume shop when I feel exactly the same about it?"

"I don't know...but really, where are we going?"

"You'll see. Now get up."

"It has to be a surprise..." Ash rolled out of bed, moving to get dressed. A few minutes later, she said, "All right. I'm ready."

"Good. Let's go." Kristi took the brunette's hand and led her out to her car.

"You're actually going to let me sit in your nice car?" Ash asked, as she slid into the passenger seat gingerly, prepared for the blonde to yell at her.

"My friends are allowed in my car, Ash. I wouldn't bring you over here if I wasn't going to let you get in."

"Friend?" The lycan looked down, as she put on her seatbelt. "I...I see..."

"Oh, come on now. We went over this already. We're friends, remember? Unless you've changed your mind already?" Kristi started the car, pulling away from the apartment.

"N-no...it's just weird to hear you say it." Ash rolled her window down before rolling it back up. There was a pause, before she rolled it down halfway, then back up. Then down again, and up...this continued.

The blonde reached over to grab Ash's hand, stopping her. "Please stop."

"Sorry..." The brunette resorted to just gazing out the window, nearly falling asleep as they reached their destination.

Kristi looked over at her, giving a soft laugh. "Time to wake up, sleepyhead. We're here."

The stopping of the car caused Ash's head to hit the window, which woke her. "I'm awake," she said, rubbing her head. "And where is here? It looks fancy..." The lycan got out of the car, looking around.

"'Here' is a spa. You and I are going to have a day full of relaxation." Kristi parked the car and stepped out.

"A spa? I've never been to one of those...what do you do at these 'spas'?" Ash asked, as she followed the blonde inside.

"At a spa you get massages and lots of other relaxing and pampering things."

"Hmm...it sounds like it might be appealing...I may go along with your plan...we'll see."

"I think you'll love it." Kristi went up to the front desk, the woman immediately recognizing her.

"Ah, Miss Chatagnier, it is good to see you again. If you and your guest will just follow me, I'll lead you to your room."

"How does she know you? How often do you come here?" Ash asked, as she followed the blonde.

"I'm a regular. I come here all the time."

"But...aren't these places expensive?"

"Yes, they are indeed."

"But...why...nevermind." The lycan looked around the room when they finally did stop. "I'm afraid that if I even look at anything wrong, it'll break..."

"That won't happen, Ash. I promise."

"If you say so..." She looked at the blonde. "When is the relaxing part?"

"Once you take off your clothes." Kristi shooed the attendant out of the room, not wanting anybody else to see her back as it was.

"You didn't tell me I had to be naked! This is part of your plan, isn't it?"

"No, it isn't. You have to take off your clothes so that they can massage you." The blonde gave a small laugh.

"They? Who is they? I-I don't want random people touching my naked body! No, I can't..." Ash started for the door.

"Oh, no you don't." Kristi grabbed her before she could run. "Everything is going to be alright, Ash. They're professionals."

Ash winced slightly. "Are...are you going to be there...?"

"Yes. I will be here the whole time. I promise."

"Okay...but I swear, if a man touches me, there will be problems."

"Don't worry. _She _won't touch you inappropriately at all."

"Okay, I get it..." Ash began to take off her clothes, her face coloring as she did so. To make her more comfortable, Kristi turned away, bashfully taking off her own clothes. "You know...it's different undressing in front of you when I'm actually...not sex driven," Ash said, setting her clothes aside and leaving her underwear on. "Even though we've been naked before..."

"Yeah. I understand..." The blonde quickly pulled on her robe, hiding her disfigured back. "You can wear the robe if you want until they actually start."

Ash slid into the robe, hopping up to sit on the massage table. "You know...that wound doesn't distract from your..." Ash looked down, not finishing.

"Thank you...but I still don't want anyone to see it. Already more people have seen this...thing than I would ever wish to. I don't want to add another person to that list."

"Kristi, I promise I'll make it up to you. You never should have gotten hurt...you don't deserve that..."

The blonde gave her a small smile. "It's fine. It will heal...in time." Kristi pressed the button on the wall by the door that would let the attendant know that they were ready. She moved to sit on her table.

"Time can only heal so much..." Ash said, looking down at her hands. When the attendant entered, Ash eyed her suspiciously, stubbornly refusing to take her robe off when asked.

Kristi went over to help, smiling at the attendant. "Excuse her. It's her first time." The woman gave a knowing smile and a nod. Kristi untied the robe's belt, which made Ash grab the blonde's wrists, stopping her. She looked up at the vampire. Kristi looked back down at her with soft eyes. "Trust me."

Slowly, Ash released the blonde, unsure why she was trusting the blonde so easily. Kristi gave her a small smile, pushing her gently down onto her stomach and pulling away the robe so that the attendant never saw any inappropriate part of Ash's body. The lycan followed Kristi with her eyes, never suspecting that she'd ever feel comfortable with the vampire's presence.

Kristi sat on her own table, giving a smile to Ash, as her own masseuse came into the room. She looked at the man, telling him, "I only want my shoulders, arms, and legs done. No back." He nodded, and the blonde lied down, looking over at Ash on her table and not removing her own robe. The brunette, meanwhile, was clutching at the table, as the female masseuse began on her. She had to admit, it didn't hurt as much as she had thought, but she still wasn't sure how she felt about it. A happy sigh escaped the vampire's lips at the feeling of her own massage. "How are you holding up over there, Ashelin?"

"Nnnn...still waiting for the relaxing part," the lycan replied.

Kristi chuckled. "It will come soon enough. But you need to stop clutching onto the table. It'll help a lot

Slowly, the brunette unclenched her body and tried to relax. "And you're...enjoying this?" she asked the blonde.

"Yes. I am indeed."

Ash nodded, and she was about to reply when she felt the woman's hands move lower. The lycan inhaled sharply instead, tensing up again. When it was finally over, she quickly grabbed her robe, putting it back on. "Are we done?" she asked.

"There's still more...but we don't have to finish if you don't want to." Kristi sat up on her table, sliding off.

"N-no...I...I want to...what else is there?"

"Well there's facials and mud baths, for a start."

"Mud baths? Why would you pay to take a bath in mud? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of a bath?"

"It's not just normal mud, Ash. And it's good for your skin."

"I am suspicious of this magic mud..."

"It's not magic, silly. It just has a lot of vitamins in it that help make your skin healthier and softer." The blonde chuckled.

"Is that how you manage to keep your skin so nice even though you're dea- deathly attractive?" Ash's face turned red. "I mean...um...this isn't coming out right..."

"Don't worry about it, Ash. My skin is like this because of what I am. What helps a human's skin, doesn't do much for me at all. I just enjoy how it feels."

"O-oh...I see." Ash slid off the table. "So...I assume we have to go to another room? Do we have to walk around this place naked? Cause I'm not sure how I feel about that..."

"You're not naked, Ash. You're wearing a robe and underwear."

"Close enough! And you took off my robe earlier..."

"Well that's because it was time for your massage and we were in a private room."

"Wait...we're not gonna be in a private room for this mud bath? And I _know _you have to be naked for baths..." She gasped. "I am _not _sharing a bath with naked strangers!"

"Would you just calm down before you give yourself a heart attack. We will be in a private room for the baths and for the facials and anything else you would like to do. I only meant that I took off your robe then because we were in a private room. I won't take it off out here in front of everyone or anything."

"O-oh..." Ash looked down. "I'm sorry...I guess this is just a luxury I'm not used to...anytime I ever had anything nice, it was always taken away from me...So where is the room with the magic mud?" Ash asked, offering the blonde a small smile.

"It's right this way." Kristi led her down the halls and opened the door. "And here we are."

Ash looked around the room. "Hmm...it still seems suspicious..." The brunette approached one stone tub, looking in. "Very suspicious."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Ashelin, calm down. It's just mud."

"That's how it starts..."

"Get in the tub before I push you in." Kristi laughed.

"I dare you."

The blonde quickly tore off Ash's robe and shoved her into the tub, jumping back to avoid the splashes of mud.

"Gah!" Ash sat up, wiping mud from her face. She looked at the blonde. " I can't believe you did that!"

Kristi shrugged her shoulders, tossing the brunette's robe away. "You dared me." The lycan made a face before she stood, leaping at the blonde and ripping off her robe, pulling her back into the tub with her. Kristi gasped in shock, sitting up in the tub and slowly wiping the mud from her face.

Ash grinned. "You're right. This mud does make you look better."

The blonde took a handful of mud and wiped it all over Ash's face. "Yeah? It makes you look better too."

The lycan looked surprised at first, but a smile spread across her face. "Oh, so we're going to play that way?" She grabbed a handful of mud as well and repeated the action. "There. Now we're even." Kristi took another few handfuls, and wiped it all over her face and shoulders, not leaving an inch of skin uncovered. "Now I'm going to be beautiful!" Ash said. "But until then, I will be a mud monster! RAWR!" She grabbed the blonde and pushed them both under the surface.

The vampire struggled against her, forcing her way to the surface and gasping for clean air. "Why would you do that? Now I have to wash my hair when we get out..."

Ash sat up as well. "Because you're my friend..."

Kristi grumbled under her breath, crossing her arms. "You're lucky we don't still hate each other...or I would do more than just this!" She shoved the brunette back under the mud with a laugh.

The lycan flailed underneath her, before she managed to push the blonde's hand away, surfacing with a cough. "Yes...good thing..." She sneezed, causing mud to come out of her nose. "That was impressive..." Kristi couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "Glad I could amuse you...I'll bet you've never had this much fun here before."

"Definitely not." The blonde grabbed a nearby towel and wiped off her face, handing the towel over to Ash before sitting back against the side of the tub with a relaxed sigh.

Ash took the towel and wiped her own face before setting it aside. She looked over at the blonde, saying, "You do realize that we're sitting in a tub together naked, right?"

"Yes. Yes, I do." Kristi closed her eyes, gently leaning her head back.

"And that doesn't...bother you? N-not that it bothers me! I just..." Ash sighed. "Kristi...I can't deal with your boyfriend anymore."

"What about him?"

"Everything! He's driving me crazy! No matter what I say, he won't leave me alone about this whole ordeal. He thinks we're having sex for fun..." A pause. "He's an arrogant jerk and you shouldn't date him."

Kristi looked down. "I'm sorry that the two of you don't like each other, Ash..."

"Sorry? Really, Kristi? You make it sound like we're in high school! He is a vampire now, and I am a werewolf! He has threatened to kill me because he thinks I'm senselessly fucking you! You think he's still the same guy you first started dating, and even if he was, he's still-" The brunette stopped with a sigh. "Forget it. You've never listened to me before; why should it change now?"

"I'm sorry..." The blonde got out of the tub and moved over to the other one, looking down.

The lycan was surprised to find that the simple action somewhat upset her. "Kristi...I'm sorry." She got out of the tub and joined the blonde in the other one. "Please don't go...you...you're the only thing in my life that's been consistent...and I realize I'm saying this in a tub full of mud that's mere feet from the other, but I don't care."

"I know, Ash. I just..." Kristi couldn't hold back a bloody tear from escaping down her cheek. "I love you both. I don't want to lose either of you...but I have a feeling that I will have to pick between the two of you eventually, and I...I don't know what to do!"

"O-oh, don't cry!" Ash pulled the blonde into an awkward hug. "You...you don't have to choose between us. Eric is your boyfriend...and I-I'm just your bes- your friend."

"Ash, you're my best friend. You shouldn't have to deal with someone you don't like just because of me."

"Kristi, I...it's fine. I was just...nevermind. Look, please don't worry about it." The lycan pulled away slightly, wiping the bloody tear from the blonde's face. "Everything will be just fine."

"Thank you..." Kristi leaned forward to rest her head against Ash's shoulder. The lycan blushed, but she smiled slightly, feeling an unfamiliar jolt of electricity shoot up her spine. The blonde smelled so good...Ash put her arms around Kristi hesitantly. The blonde wrapped her arms around Ash too. She sighed comfortably

"I think...I'm experiencing the relaxing part now..." Ash said, smiling slightly.

The blonde chuckled. "Well, it took you long enough."

"I can't help it if I'm not the best at...adapting to places where being naked with strangers is the norm."

"And that's completely understandable, Ash."

"Then don't give me a hard time." The brunette leaned back, closing her eyes.

"I'm not trying to give you a hard time. I promise."

"Shush. We're relaxing." Kristi chuckled, not realizing that she was nuzzling her nose against the brunette's neck. Ash inhaled softly at the feeling, pulling Kristi the tiniest bit closer. The blonde gave an almost silent moan of satisfaction before laying a gentle kiss just under Ash's jawline. The lycan froze, wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her. _Did she just...no..._ Ash shakily kissed the top of Kristi's head. Kristi curled up against the werewolf's side, relaxing and just enjoying her smell and feel.

Ash held her roommate close, wondering how things had taken such a drastic turn in such a short amount of time. Was...was Kristi hiding something from her? The brunette looked down at her, smiling slightly. Kristi didn't notice the look since she had her eyes closed, but she gave a small smile from being so close to her. Ash hesitantly leaned down, kissing the blonde gently. She didn't know why; perhaps it was the irresistible scent of her roommate, or the proximity, but whatever it was, Ash did kiss Kristi, gently touching her lips before pulling away.

Before she could stop herself, the blonde kissed her again, letting their lips linger together. The lycan pulled her closer, deepening the kiss slightly. Kristi gave a soft moan, her hand coming up to cup the brunette's cheek. Ash pulled the blonde into her lap as she ran a hand through her hair, her other hand running down Kristi's arm. A moan escaped the blonde's lips, as her other hand buried itself into Ash's hair. Even as Ash pulled her closer, and felt a strange happiness building inside, she could not stop herself from asking with a wavering voice, "What's happening to us...?"

"I don't...know..." Kristi kissed her again.

Ash returned the kiss, one hand wandering down to Kristi's breast. "Me...either..." The blonde let out a small gasp at the touch. She deepened the kiss, drawing herself closer to Ash. The lycan's other hand moved to the back of Kristi's neck, keeping their proximity. "Nnn...Kristi...I think I might...like you."

"Mmmm...like...you too..." Kristi got onto her knees, pushing her body flush against Ash's.

"I mean...a lot...more than I like...anyone..."

"Me...too..." The blonde's hand wandered down to massage Ash's breast.

Ash gasped slightly, arching her back and pushing herself harder into Kristi's hand. "R-really...?" Her heart began to flutter in an unnerving way.

"Yes..." Kristi pulled away to look at her, her eyes flashing silver and her fangs emerging.

Ash recognized that look. "Go ahead..." she said, looking into the blonde's eyes.

"Are you...sure?"

"Yes...I know it might sound crazy...but I want it."

"Even...in a place as...public as this?" Kristi brushed her lips against the brunette's neck.

Ash shuddered at the feeling. "We're in...a private room...p-please Kristi..." The blonde didn't wait another second, before she bit into her. Kristi gripped Ash closer, moaning as the blood flowed into her mouth. Ash let out a gasp, burying her face in Kristi's shoulder as she shuddered again at the feeling. Her hands wandered down the blonde's stomach, but she chose to instead let them rest on the vampire's hips, being sure to miss her wound. Kristi moaned, drinking deeply and massaging the brunette's breast again. "Kristi..." Ash's hands wandered back up to the blonde's breasts, kissing whatever skin she could reach.

The vampire shivered at the touch, forcing herself to pull away before things went too far. She licked her lips with a coy smile. "Shame on us...about to have sex in such a public place..."

Ash looked at her, panting slightly. "You know me...I can't help it...besides, I was doing fine...until you came along."

"Oh? Until I came along?" She leaned forward to lick the last drops of blood from the werewolf's neck.

The brunette darkened. "I mean...I hadn't had sex...until we...and then I was always around you...and now I can't seem to...shut it down..."

"Mmmm...and is that such a bad thing? To be sexually active?" After cleaning the wound, Kristi pulled away.

"For a werewolf, it can be. You saw me on the night of the full moon...things can get out of hand."

"I suppose you're right. I guess having both of our increased sex drives together probably isn't helping either." The blonde smiled.

"Kristi, you seem...okay with this." Ash ran her hands down the blonde's arms. "I...I want you to know...that I did mean what I said earlier...I really do think I may have...developed some...thing for you..."

"I..." Kristi looked down. "What...kind of...things?"

The lycan trembled as she said, "Something...more than...friendly? I don't...know for sure..."

"Okay..." She shook her head a little before looking up with a small smile. "Let's go clean off."

"W-wait..." Ash held onto her. "Are you...did you...is this going to...change things?"

"No. Of course it won't change anything...we're still friends, Ash."

The lycan nodded, feeling slightly let down. "I..." She didn't finish, but instead she stood, grabbing a towel.

"Come on." Kristi stepped out, wrapping a towel around herself too. "The showers are just through here." She walked to the room's other door.

Ash followed her, her gaze down on the floor. "And now we have to shower together..." she muttered.

"We don't have to shower together, Ash. There are multiple showers in here." The blonde opened the door and stepped into one of the two showers. Ash looked between the two showers, before she followed Kristi, wrapping her arms around the blonde from behind and doing her best to be gentle against her back. Kristi leaned back against her with a sigh. "I thought you didn't want to take a shower with me?"

"Not that I didn't want to...just wasn't sure how you felt about it...or what would happen...but then I got lonely."

The blonde chuckled softly. "Well, we are friends with...benefits...who's to say those benefits are only supposed to be sexual."

A pause, and then, "Wh...what does that mean?"

"Sometimes...um...cuddling is nice too..."

Ash smiled slightly, before she nuzzled Kristi's neck. "That does sound...nice..." Kristi smiled too, letting the water wash the mud from her body. "You know...we could get in trouble for this..."

"By who? Last time I checked, we're the only ones in here."

"I don't mean now. I mean this whole...thing between us..." Ash buried her face in Kristi's shoulder. "I can't...I can't let Neil hurt you again...I don't think I can take it."

"He won't, Ash. I'm almost completely healed now. He won't get the jump on me again."

"And that's another thing...you're almost healed. Soon, you won't...need me anymore..."

"Ashelin..." Kristi turned in the brunette's arms. "You're my friend now. I won't just ditch you because I won't need your blood anymore."

"But...then Eric will be right...I'll just be having sex with you for no reason...and what if you decide that you don't want me outside of your bloodlust?"

"I...I don't know..." Kristi looked down again.

"I don't want to...lose you..." Ash dared to kiss the blonde again.

Kristi froze, a thousand thoughts running through her mind in that one second. She quickly turned her head, dodging the kiss at the last moment. "I...I think it's time to...go now..." She pulled away from her, unable to meet the brunette's gaze.

The lycan felt a sharp pain at the rejection, but she reached to turn the shower off. "I'm sorry..." she said, stepping out and grabbing a towel, beginning to dry herself off.

"It's...fine." The blonde grabbed her own towel, quickly wrapping it around herself and pulling her robe over it. She made her way back to the changing room.

Ash followed her, quickly dressing. As she slid on her shoes, she said, "Thank you...this was a rather nice day."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Kristi picked up her purse, already dressed, and waited by the door.

The brunette was a little surprised how fast Kristi had moved, but she went to her side, following her out to the car. "Kristi...I'm sorry if I did something to upset you."

"It's fine, Ash. Don't worry about it." Kristi started the car and pulled away from the spa.

Ash's fingers fidgeted in her lap, as they drove, questions threatening to come out. There were so many things she wanted to say to the blonde...but Kristi was already throwing up her walls again, so Ash remained quiet, looking out the window and twitching more, growing increasingly restless. "Aren't we home yet?"

"We're almost back. Just a few more minutes."

Ash looked back out the window, many things still left unsaid.

ZZ

"Paolo," Kristi called, as she entered the salon. She knew it was after hours, but that didn't much matter to the blonde. She knew that the stylist would still be here, arranging his station just so, since Bethany took great pains to mess it up.

The other vampire was organizing his dye shelf. When he turned to look at Kristi, he dropped the dye in his hand and was immediately at her side, noticing the look on her face. "_Mio dio_! Kristianna, what is the matter?"

Kristi sat in his chair with a sigh. "It's...Ashelin...I fear I cannot ignore her much longer..."

Paolo sighed as well, hopping up onto his work station and wrinkling his nose. "I still don't understand what you see in her. She reeks of dog, and her manners aren't any better than one either."

"Oh, don't you think I know all that? She's a werewolf! Yes, there are things about her that repulse me, but...there are...other things. She's...honest, and I admit, her scent used to bother me, but now...all I can smell is her blood. Paolo...I can't help it. I don't want it to be her...but how can I ignore her any longer?"

The brunette took her hands in his own. "I only wish for your happiness. If you don't want it to be her then leave. You won't be intoxicated by her blood any longer."

"I thought of that too...but if I leave...I just know the memories will follow. Feeding won't be the same...no blood will compare to hers. And if to make things better and worse, she's already immortal. Is it not rare to get that lucky?"

"I'm not sure what you want me to tell you. I only want you to be happy."

"I don't know!" Kristi stood angrily, crossing her arms. "I just don't understand...why it has to be her. But I think she is...so what do I do? Stay with her and try to explain? That means letting her in and...and you know how I hate doing that."

"I know you will hate me for saying this, but by you coming here...doesn't that mean that you've already started letting her in?"

"Yes..." Her voice shook. "You didn't...hear what I heard...she held onto me...as if I was the only thing keeping her here...how was I supposed to react?"

"The true question is how _did_ you react?"

"In that moment...I climbed into bed with her...and I held onto her so she would sleep." Kristi looked at him. "And it's only gotten worse from there...today we came close to...and it wasn't even out of bloodlust."

"Then it seems to me that you have already let her in more than you think."

"That's what scares me...I can't stop her Paolo. And that's...terrifying. What happens when I do let her in?"

"The exact thing that is supposed to happen when a vampire meets their consort: you will fall deeply in love with her, because she is your 'meant to be.' There's no stopping it, Kristi, if you refuse to leave."

The blonde sighed. "I...I think I knew all along...and hearing you say it..." She didn't finish. "I have to tell her, don't I?"

"If you want to go down that road...yes."

Kristi nodded slowly. "Thank you, Paolo..."

"Any time. You know that." The brunette gave her a small smile, pulling her into a hug. "I may not be thrilled about your choice in mates...but I only want your happiness."

"You know she was not my choice...but thank you for standing by me...not that I had any doubts, of course."

"But you know that I am not the one you need approval from..." Paolo pulled away to look down at her. "What are you going to tell Klaus?"

Kristi sighed again. "The truth...he will not decide whom I can and cannot love any longer. I will not lose anyone else..."

"He won't be happy..."

"No, but if I am not allowed even a chance with Ashelin...then I will be miserable."

"Well, he won't be able to resist that..." He flashed Kristi a smile. "But you know that I am with you no matter what."

"I know." Kristi smiled slightly. "And that is why we are still friends after all this time."

"Of course. Together forever, honey."


End file.
